Coalition talks begin in Croatia

Although there is still no clear winner in yesterday’s elections, the HDZ and SDP have both begun coalition talks.

Neither Prime Minister Ivo Sanader‘s Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) nor opposition leader Zoran Milanović‘s Social Democratic Party (SDP) have a majority in the Croatian parliament, and must therefore begin coalition discussions.

According to the preliminary results announced by the Croatian Election Commission, the HDZ won the most parliamentary seats, followed by the SDP.

Officials from both parties have announced coalition discussions since neither have been able to secure the absolute majority of 77 seats.

Last night both parties were celebrating. The latest results showed a small lead for the HDZ. According to tallies from 95 percent of the polling stations, the HDZ have won 60 of the 153 parliamentary seats.

The SDP have won 57 seats. HDZ President Ivo Sanader announced his victory at around midnight last night.

“I can tell you that I talked to the president and told him that I was awaiting the mandate to form the government,” Sanader said.

SDP leader Zoran Milanović said that he too had talked to Croatian President Stjepan Mesić.

“I can tell you that we are entering talks for forming the government, but we will not celebrate until we hear the final results,” Zoran Milanović said.

Mesić did not say whether he had talked with either of the leaders, stating only that he had expected such an outcome and was glad that there would be a strong opposition, regardless of who formed the government.

French Acrobats in Zagreb Youth Theatre

Every performance of the ‘Tailteul’ show is unique and different, which makes it the premiere and last performance at the same time.

The show “Tailteul” by the French art group La Scabreuse opened the 3rd festival of new circus at the Zagreb Youth Theatre (ZKM) during which eight artist groups of the modern circus from France, Italy, Spain, Finland and Croatia will perform the next six days.

Internationally renowned choreographer Jordi L. Vidal is the choreographer of the performance and Jean-Michel Guy, a renowned circus theoretician, analyst and publicist, is the director.

The performers are a juggler, an acrobat and musician in search of sense that keeps eluding them. Questions are asked and there are no answers. Identity crises are a constant in the global world, is the French message.

The mixture of acrobatics, juggling and music is followed by a visual absurdity. The actors are confined in a white box with writing, symbols, drawings and markings.

Theatre surprise for Zagreb’s audience

This circus production is specific because it is created on the spot, adjusting to the locale and moment of its performance. Every performance of the show is unique and different, which makes it the premiere and final performance at the same time. The Zagreb audience was thrilled with the theatre surprise created only for them when majorettes marched on the stage and the musician spurted bizarre sentences in Croatian. The artists skilfully included Croatian brands alongside world known names, so, enumerating Microsoft, McDonald’s, Marlboro, they included Dukat, Badel and other Croatian producers.

The visual spectacle showed how a circus skill can contribute to creating an unusual theatre performance.

War crimes charges filed against 14 Serbs for 1991 murder of 70 Croats

Serbia's war crimes prosecutors filed war crimes charges against 14 former Serb fighters in the killing of 70 Croat civilians in 1991, authorities said Thursday.

The group includes former Yugoslav army soldiers and paramilitary fighters suspected of "torture, inhuman treatment and killing" of the Croats in a border town in Croatia during the war there, prosecutors said in a statement.

Croatian investigations have discovered dozens of bodies in mass graves in the village of Lovas, apparently killed in October and November 1991 when the Serbs controlled the area.

The Serbian prosecutors charged the Serb fighters with killing 22 Croats by forcing them to march over a minefield as a human shield. Another 48 villagers were shot dead in their houses, on the streets or in detention, the statement said.

Out of the 14 charged Serbs, seven have been detained by Serbian police. There was no immediate information about the remaining seven suspects.

The war in Croatia erupted in 1991, when the republic declared independence from the Yugoslav federation, triggering a Serb rebellion backed by the Serb-led Yugoslav army. The war lasted until 1995.

Prosecution of those responsible for atrocities in the war became possible after the removal of the late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in 2000 by Serbia's pro-democracy forces.

Who Will Sit in Croatian Parliament?

140 MPs have entered the new Croatian parliament. With a salary of 15,000 kuna, they are the ‘owners’ of the most lucrative jobs in Croatia.

Being a member of parliament must be the most wanted job in Croatia. An average monthly salary of 15,000 kuna, privileged pensions, free transport cross-country are only some of the benefits of the job. And with all those privileges, some MPs often fail to fulfil their duty of regularly attending parliamentary sessions.

The constituting of the 6th Croatian Parliament assembly has been envisaged for December, that is, 20 days after the issuing of official results of the general elections.

While the past parliament consisted of 152 MPs, this year 140 MPs will sit in parliament, of whom 61 are from the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which will be joined by five other MPs elected by the Diaspora, 56 social democrats (SDP), six members of the Croatian People’s Party (HNS) and seven MPs of the Croatian Peasants’ Party-Croatian Social Liberal Party coalition (HSS-HSLS).

The biggest surprise of this year’s elections is Branimir Glavas’s party (HDSSB) that will have three MPs. The Serb Democratic Independent Party (SDSS) led by Milorad Pupovac will have three MPs. The Croatian party of Rights (HSP) and Croatian Party of Pensioners (HSU) are the greatest losers of these elections, with one MP each.

In the 3rd electoral unit, the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) won three seats.

Also, representatives of minorities will sit in parliament: Furio Radin, Zdenka Cunhil, Semso Tankovic, Denes Soja and Nazif Memedi.

They will all soon sit in their seats in parliament and make up the largest legislative body in Croatia. We do not doubt that they will often make us laugh with their statements, but also make us quite angry. But it is too late for regrets, these are the “faces of the nation” that we elected.

Look at who will be representing the HDZ and SDP in parliament.

Croatia manager doesn`t want to meet England

Croatia manager Slaven Bilic said England was the team he least wanted to meet in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers despite Croatia ending England's Euro 2008 hopes at Wembley.

"Everyone in Croatia was saying 'give us England again' but I wanted to avoid England," Bilic told Sky Sports News. But the two teams will meet in the qualifiers to the World Cup finals in South Africa, as they have been drawn in the same group.

"It is a very, very hard draw because they are by far the best team from the second pot. The only team I wanted to avoid was England. We are not afraid of them but they have got a terrific team and brilliant players. They should gel and they are going to gel," he said.

Croatia beat England twice in qualifying for Euro 2008. Their 3-2 victory at Wembley last Wednesday meant England failed to qualify. Manager Steve McClaren was dismissed the following morning.

Apart from England, Croatia meet Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra in Group Six of the World Cup qualifiers.

"It's not only England but we have Ukraine too -- that's a couple of teams who were in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup and both didn't qualify for Euro 2008," Bilic said.

"They will do anything to get to the World Cup in 2010. It's the most difficult group to be honest," he added.

Bilic does not know if he will be in charge of Croatia for their World Cup qualifying campaign.

"My contract runs out after Euro 2008 and you can't plan long term in this job," he said.

"I am focussed on my job and the European Championship," he told a radio station.

Top price for Edmondson Park block

A private company directed by lawyer Peter Short paid more than a $1 million an acre for a seven-acre block in Croatia Avenue, Edmondson Park, in May.

The price, the highest this year by almost $500,000 an acre for the area, bucks a 2006 prediction by an Urban Development Institute of Australia member that landowners would not get more than $270,000 an acre.

The lowest price this year was for a Jardine Drive property which fetched $333,000 an acre.

The Croatia Avenue block was bought by Australian General Resources, directed also by Mr Short's wife, Helen.

Mr Short declined to provide any information about the company or the purchase.

The land was earmarked for high-density development at the time of the sale but has since been exhibited for medium- and low-density.

The final density has not been decided.

In August, the Planning Department paid $3.65million for a five-acre property in the future rail corridor on Jardine Drive.

Leppington landowners affected by the rail corridor said they have been offered around $300,000 from the Planning Department.

Croatia's HDZ, SDP Run Neck-and-Neck, Claim Mandate

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's Croatian Democratic Union and the opposition Social Democratic Party were running neck-and-neck after yesterday's general election, with both parties saying they can muster enough support to form a coalition.

Sanader's party, known by its Croatian acronym HDZ, was set to win 60 seats and the SDP 57 seats with 95 percent of votes counted, state TV reported, citing the State Election Committee. Seven other parties may get enough votes to enter parliament and decide who forms the government. The turnout was 64 percent.

``I've spoken with President Stjepan Mesic and told him I expect the mandate to form the next government,'' Sanader said at his party's headquarters. SDP leader Zoran Milanovic was equally adamant, telling reporters: ``I am happy with these results and I am saying that we are starting to create the Croatian government.''

The 54-year-old premier's party came to power in 2003, replacing a coalition led by the Social Democrats. The Adriatic Sea state had 14 consecutive quarters of economic growth during his term, average inflation was around 3 percent and wages rose while unemployment fell to a record low in August.

The next government will probably lead the country into the European Union. Sanader's administration began entry talks two years ago and the country aims to join by the end of 2010 or early 2011. The previous three governments survived full four-year terms.

Milanovic, 41, led a comeback for his party, which as recently as March was trailing Sanader's with just 18.8 percent support in a poll. By October, a survey for the Puls research agency had both parties at 30.3 percent. Two exit polls published after voting ended yesterday gave the SDP the lead.

Potential Candidates

President Mesic will give the mandate to the party that can get majority support in Parliament.

``We have potential candidates for a coalition for both sides, I mean the HDZ and the SDP,'' the president told reporters after early results were announced.

There will probably be 152 or 153 legislators in the new parliament, depending on the strength of the turnout among Croatians living abroad. The expatriates may get as many as five lawmakers if turnout is high and typically support the HDZ.

Of the other parties likely to be represented in the parliament, only the Croatian People's Party, likely to get seven seats, has said who it will support, coming down in favor of the SDP.

The Croatian Peasants' Party in alliance with the Social Liberals together have a probable eight seats; the Croatian Democratic Union of Slavonija and Baranja has three; the Istrian Democratic Forum, three; and the Croatian Party of Rights and the Croatian Pensioners' Party, have one seat each. None have announced which of the main parties they'll back. There will also be eight members elected by minority ethnic groups living in Croatia.

These are the sixth democratic elections in Croatia since 1990, when the nation was still a member of the Yugoslav Federation. It declared independence a year later, after which it fought a four-year war with its ethnic Serb population, who were protected by Serbian troops dispatched by Belgrade.

ER's Goran Visnjic to pay child support after admitting paternity

Actor Goran Visnjic - Dr. Luka Kovac in the U.S. TV series ER - has acknowledged having a child from an extramarital affair and has agreed to pay child support.

Visnjic, 35, was granted visits with the girl at his request, according to a lawyer in the case.

He initially had insisted on a paternity test after Mirela Rupic, a 36-year-old woman from his hometown, sued him, saying her daughter was the result of an affair with him in the summer of 2006.

At the hearing before a Zagreb court Tuesday, Visnjic's lawyer, Marijan Hanzekovic said the actor had abandoned requests for paternity test and recognized the eight-month-old child as his. He agreed to support her with 9,000 kuna (US$1,800) a month.

Visnjic was granted visits once a month, said Rupic's lawyer, Nenad Skare.

Visnjic, who lives in Los Angeles, has also appeared in films with Nicole Kidman and George Clooney. He has been married to Ivana Vrdoljak since 1999. The couple adopted a son this spring.

In an interview after Rupic's lawsuit was filed Visnjic acknowledged one encounter with her, but insisted he remembered nothing from that night because of jet lag and alcohol. "I was always against cheating," he said at the time. "I still can't believe I did it."

Gotovina must stay in Hague before trial-court

Former Croatian general Ante Gotovina will not be allowed to return to Croatia ahead of his war crimes trial in The Hague because of the risk he might flee, the U.N. war crime tribunal ruled on Wednesday.

"The defence has not satisfied the trial chamber that Ante Gotovina will appear for trial if provisionally released," the court said.

In August Gotovina, who has been in detention in The Hague since December 2005, asked to be allowed to await trial under house arrest in Croatia and provided guarantees by the Croatian government that he would return to the court.

Gotovina was arrested in Spain's Canary Islands in 2005 after evading capture since 2001. His capture hastened Croatia's path towards becoming a member of the European Union.

He and two other commanders, Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac, are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including persecution and murder during a 1995 Croatian military offensive to retake the Krajina region from the Serbs.

A start for the trial has not yet been scheduled.

Croatia Seizes Cocaine On Balkan Smuggling Route

The value of the seized drugs was put at 82 million kuna ($16.5 million), the radio said.

Croatian police have seized 160 kg (350 lb) of cocaine in the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka in an operation with Bosnia and Greece, they said on Wednesday.

"This is a strong blow to the narco-mafia in the Balkans, which increasingly use Adriatic ports, in addition to roads, for their illegal activities," the head of the Croatian police, Marijan Benko, told state radio.

The value of the seized drugs was put at 82 million kuna ($16.5 million), the radio said.

According to local media, a police operation in the three countries had been going on for almost four months and resulted in the arrest of several people in Greece, Bosnia's Serb republic and Croatia.

Croatia lies on a notorious Balkan trafficking route where smugglers of cigarettes, drugs and people regularly make use of the mountainous terrain.

Klasnic in Croatia contention

Ivan Klasnic is to make himself available to Croatia boss Slaven Bilic again after overcoming kidney problems.

The Werder Bremen striker, who now has three kidneys, has struggled to recover from a transplant and wears a fibreglass shield to protect the organ.

Any damage to the kidney could prove life-threatening but Klasnic has been given the go-ahead by doctors to increase his workload and add to his 26 international caps.

Klasnic, who marked his club return against Energie Cottbus at the weekend, said: "I feel great. I can't explain the emotions I had when getting on the pitch from the beginning of the match.

"I was working hard and did not want to accept it when some doctors said that I might never return to the pitch.

"When I'll be totally fit, I'll hope for another call from the national team coach."

World Cup 2010: Surely England can't fall to Croatia in qualifying again?

After their catastrophic failure to qualify for Euro 2008, can Steven Gerrard and Co get it together in time for the next big one?

After the bitter disappointment of failing to qualify for Euro 2008, I am interested to see how England fans gauge their country's chances of making it to the next the 2010 World Cup.

This is perhaps timely in view of the fact that the Group draw has been made and by all accounts England seem to be in an easy passage.

Witness, then, the polls. The first one quite simply asks what England's fate will be in World Cup qualifying. Four options there: They win the group, they finish second and qualify via the play-off, they finish second and fail to qualify, or they finish third or lower. The second poll is much broader and simply asks if England will win a Euro or World Cup in your lifetime (however long that may be).

Obviously there is no way (that I know of) to limit participants to England fans so perhaps this is more of a worldwide forum on the status of the sport in the country that invented it. Which is still interesting. So have a go here!

In the short-term, England have been drawn in a qualifying group with Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra. It could have been worse, as several groups look a lot tougher. France have a very tough draw, for example, with Romania and Serbia, two teams that can match up with anyone, and Lithuania and Austria potential wild cards. But of the nine top-seeded teams England could have been drawn with, Croatia was undoubtedly the worst.

I think England will definitely qualify, possibly even directly as group winners. And long-term? I'm not sure that the influx of foreigners into the Premier League has hurt English football. It has been going downhill for some time (like, since 1966?), nor is this the first time England have failed to qualify for a major tournament. Actually, England's football supremacy was put in doubt before 1966 as well. Witness the following quote:

"That one game alone changed our thinking. We thought we would demolish this team - England at Wembley, we are the masters, they are the pupils. It was absolutely the other way."

Sir Bobby Robson said that in 1953, after England's first defeat at Wembley to a non-British team (Hungary).

It goes to show that lessons in humility are not a new experience in the annals of English football. England have adapted before; 13 years after that historic loss they won their only World Cup on the same field. No reason they can't change with the times again, one would think.

Croatian ruling party wins 66 seats in general elections

The ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won 66 seats including five seats for expatriates in the 153-member parliament, remaining to be the largest party in Croatia, the State Election Commission said on Wednesday.

According to provisional election results from all 12 electoral units, the main opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) was second with 56 seats.

The coalition of the Croatian Peasant Party and the Social Liberal Party won eight seats, the People's Party seven, the regional Istrian Democratic Party and HDSSB party three each, while the Party of Rights and the Pensioners' Party each won one seat.

The new parliament will also include eight representatives of ethnic minorities.

About 4 million voters are eligible to vote in Croatia's parliamentary elections on Nov. 25, the sixth multi-party elections since 1990. The turnout of the elections was around 64 percent.

Final results will be announced after repeated voting at three polling stations on Dec. 9 and the expiry of a 48-hour deadline for complaints, but those results will not affect the present distribution of seats.

After the expiry of the deadline for complaints, the Constitution provides for a 20-day period for the formation of a new parliament, which is the prerequisite for the formation of a new government.

Parliamentary elections were conducted in 10 electoral units in Croatia and in two special ones, one for the Croatian Diaspora and Croatian nationals residing abroad, and the other for Croatia's national minorities.

The Croatian constitution stipulates that the unicameral parliament can have no less than 100 and no more than 160 deputies, depending on the voter turnout. Parliament members will be elected on the basis of direct, universal and equal suffrage for a four-year term.

President Receives Temporary Election Results

President Mesic received today the temporary results from the DIP. From the President’s Office they confirmed that talks will start tomorrow.

President Mesic today received the report number one over temporary and unofficial elections results, it was confirmed from the President’s Office. By receiving the results, Mesic’s conditions for the beginning of the consultations over the mandatary are fulfilled.

Consultations over the mandatary can begin

From tomorrow he will officially start talks with all the leaders of the parties. The first among them will be president of HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) Ivo Sanader, whose party gained 61 mandates in Croatia and supposedly 5 in the Diaspora, that is the relative majority of members in the new parliament.

Apart from this, today Sanader carved out a mandate more by signing an agreement with the first Roma representative in the Croatian parliament in history, Nazif Memedi.

On the other hand, social-democrats (SDP) leader Zoran Milanovic gained 56 mandates, but he has already agreed a post-election coalition with HNS (Croatian People’s Party) and IDS. SDP also greets the mandate of the Bosnian representative Semso Tankovic. If this happens, the social-democrats would have 66 mandates. Nevertheless, Sanader denies them the right to form the cabinet.

Already after the publication of unofficial election results, on the night of the elections and during the two following days, the parties representatives have been holding meetings and sittings, and discussing coalitions, which could form the new cabinet after President Mesic’s decision upon the mandatary is made.

After the elections are repeated in three polling stations on December 9, the DIP will publish the official elections results.

Elections won't affect Montenegro ties – Croatian ambassador

Croatia's top representative in Montenegro says the two countries' relations will remain unaffected.

"Irrelevant of how the new government is formed, I am certain Croatian relations with Montenegro will remain friendly," Ambassador Petar Turčinović told a Podgorica daily in the wake of weekend elections in Croatia.

His country's foreign policy toward neighboring Montenegro, "will suffer absolutely no changes," the diplomat reassured.

The ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won the parliamentary vote over the weekend.

But its parliament seat tally falls short of absolute majority, forcing the party of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader to seek coalition partners in order to form a new cabinet.

New Croatian flights to be introduced

Overseas property investors in Croatia are set to benefit from the introduction of new flights.

UK airline Flybe has announced that it will launch new services between Exeter to Dubrovnik in spring 2008 alongside a number of domestic routes, reports BBC News.

The increased accessibility should prove to be highly beneficial to overseas property owners in Croatia, as it opens up the market to visitors from the south-west of England.

Although the carrier has traditionally run flights to sunny holiday destinations, it is hoped that the new services will appeal to business travellers as well as tourists.

Commenting on the move, Flybe chief commercial officer Mike Rutter said: "Obviously consumers will benefit from the competition and we'll see how long that competition survives."

This follows a recent report by the European Union which said that Croatia was making "substantial progress" with its negotiations on achieving full membership of the international body.

High bids at Croat c.bank repo auction

Croatia's central bank accepted offers worth 3.5 billion kuna ($704.3 million) from local banks at its weekly reverse repo auction of finance ministry treasury bills on Wednesday.
Total bids in the amount of 6.21 billion kuna were almost as high as at the last auction, when they totalled 6.51 billion kuna, with bid rates varying from 3.60 to 4.30 percent and the weighted rate being 4.11 percent.
"I do expect a mild fall of interest rates after the auction, but boosted demand for the kuna ahead of Christmas holidays will push interest rates towards high levels in the coming period", said a money market dealer at a major local brokerage.
"I see interest rates at between 8.00 percent and 9.50 percent in December," the dealer added.
Strong interest at today's auction was in line with most market forecasts, as banks needed funds for mandatory reserve maintenance amid squeezed liquidity.
A money market dealer at a major local bank said "it has become quite a routine -- interest rates rising ahead of Wednesday's repo reverse auctions and then easing afterwards."
"Except there will be no major easing this time as intensified demand for kuna is usual for this time of year," she said.
Both market participants agreed the movement of interest rates was rather hard to predict, considering recent developments on the local financial and political scene, such as irregularity of reverse repo auctions, Nov. 25 parliamentary elections or pre-holiday consumption.
The central bank's reverse repo auctions consist of kuna-denominated T-bills with 91-, 182-, and 364-day maturities, which the finance ministry usually auctions on Tuesdays .

Alma Media expands its business to Croatia

According to its strategy, Alma Media's Marketplaces business unit
continues to expand internationally and will open a home and real
estate portal called City24 in Croatia.

City24 is already in operation in the Baltic countries, Russia,
Poland and Ukraine. Measured by the number of visitors, it is one of
the leading home and real estate portals in Europe. City24 users can
search for homes and properties in all areas where City24 is active,
even outside their own country.

In Finland, the corresponding service is Alma Media's Etuovi.com,
Finland's most popular and best known nationwide online service for
home and property sales. The service also includes a special
newspaper focusing on home sales that is distributed to almost a
million households in five localities.

After the service in Croatia is running, Alma Media intends to launch
the City24 home portal in Bulgaria and other Adriatic Sea countries.

Alma Media is a profitably growing and internationally expanding
company that invests in the future of newspapers and the online
media. Its best known products are Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti
and Etuovi.com.

Net sales in 2006 totaled EUR 302 million and the operating margin
was 16 %. The company's share is listed in the Mid Cap segment of the
OMX Nordic Exchange's Nordic List, trading code ALN1V.

Baking the books

Croatian Food company Podravka has found a novel way to present investors with a copy of their great recipes in the annual report: They embedded a small booklet inside the financial report.

But to read the recipes, you needed to enclose the booklet in foil and bake until done.

To be able to cook like Podravka you need to be a precise cook. That is why the small Podravka booklet is printed in invisible, thermo-reactive ink. To be able to reveal Podravka’s secrets you need to cover the small booklet in aluminium foil and bake it at 100 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes.

If you cook it correctly, the recipes appear. But if you cook it wrong, you will find the pages full of pictures of empty plates.

The report was designed by another local Croatian company:Bruketa & Zinić OM based in Zagreb, Croatia. They have won many awards for their originality.

Photos of the report can be found HERE, along with self righteous commenters who lament the sacred greenhouse energy that has to be used to read the booket, thereby missing the point: the originality of the booklet will result in news stories and free publicity for the company and the country of Croatia.

Soft Drinks in Croatia to 2011

This databook is a detailed information resource covering all the key data points on Soft Drinks in Croatia. It includes comprehensive value volume segmentation and market share data. The databook supplies actual data to 2006 and full forecasts to 2011.

The market for Soft Drinks in Croatia increased between 2001-2006, growing at an average annual rate of 2.8%.

The leading company in the market in 2006 was The Coca-Cola Company. The second-largest player was Jamnica with Podravka d.d. in third place.

Teenaged girls leap to death together

Two teenaged girls committed suicide together by jumping from a church tower on a Croatian island Tuesday, local media reported. The two eighth-grade students were found dead beneath the 12th century belfry of the St John the Evangelist convent and church on the island Rab, on Croatia's northern Adriatic coast.

The girls, close friends aged 14, reportedly hinted earlier that they would leap from one of the four belltowers in the town of Rab, but were not taken seriously.

They skipped school Tuesday and were seen walking through the town.

Their families went on a search after they failed to return home at the usual time. The bodies were found by a family member. Circumstances were still being investigated, reports said.

EU agrees plan to save bluefin as numbers hit critical low

EU fisheries ministers on 27 November agreed unanimously on a multi-annual stock reconstitution plan for bluefin tuna, the highly-prized yet threatened fish species popularly used for sashimi and sushi.

The reconstitution plan endorsed by the Fisheries Council transposes into Community law the bluefin tuna recovery plan laid out by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) during a 26 November 2006 meeting in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Under the plan, which spans 15 years as of January 2008, member states will be required to put forward annual fishing plans that include quotas for individual vessels. Seasonal restrictions and minimum tuna weight requirements are also part of the plan.

The Commission called the plan "timely and necessary", and noted that it goes further than the ICCAT provisions since it requires fishing plans to be put forward at the beginning of the season, in addition to the post-season reports required by ICCAT.

EU member states have been warned recently by the Commission for exceeding their quotas.

Environmental groups questioned the likely effectiveness of the plans. WWF has called ICCAT "entirely incompetent" to manage marine resources, and says the measures agreed in Dubrovnik in 2006 represent a "collapse plan" rather than a recovery plan.

Citing severe overfishing and other illegal activity that has driven the species to the brink of extinction in terms of commercial exploitation in open waters, WWF says that the quota levels endorsed by ICCAT will likely lead to the collapse of bluefin fisheries.

Overfishing of the lucrative bluefin tuna - one fish caught in open waters can fetch up to $100,000 in Japanese markets - remains a problem worldwide, as the fish are found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Due to their migratory nature, overfishing by one nation can also have adverse affects on the bluefin stocks and fishing industries of other nations. Bluefins are also bred in hatcheries and fish farms, but farmed fish are less prized due to their higher fat content.

A US proposal to impose a worldwide temporary moratorium on bluefin fishing in order to allow stocks to recover was strongly supported by Canada but rejected by ICCAT delegates on 19 November.

Bombardier sells four firefighting aircraft

Bombardier Aerospace says it has sold four Bombardier 415 amphibious firefighting aircraft, worth $118.2 million (U.S.), to an undisclosed customer.

The buyer also purchased special-mission equipment, Montreal-based Bombardier said yesterday.

The sale includes spare-parts provisioning, training and technical support. Deliveries will begin during the last quarter of the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2008, and will continue until 2009.

"Since its launch in 1994, the Bombardier 415 has consistently proved itself to be a reliable and effective firefighting tool," Michel Bourgeois, the president of Bombardier Amphibious Aircraft, said in a news release.

"The aircraft's unique operational capabilities and exceptional performance allow it to operate in the most rugged and demanding of circumstances, and it is recognized around the world as the most effective firefighting aircraft available."

Since the first Bombardier 415 amphibious aircraft was delivered in 1994, 65 have gone to firefighting agencies in Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Ontario and Quebec. In addition, 67 CL-215 amphibious piston aircraft remain in service fighting fires.

The Bombardier 415 has a maximum speed of 359 kilometres an hour. In an average mission of 11 kilometres from water to fire, the aircraft can complete nine drops within an hour and deliver 55,233 litres of fire suppressant.

The aircraft also has a multi-purpose version, the Bombardier 415MP, which can be used in a variety of specialized missions, such as search and rescue, maritime patrol and environmental protection.

Zagreb Overcomes Surge of New Office Inventory

After being inundated with new supply—a trend that shifted the pendulum in favor of tenants—office rents here are leveling off, according to a Q3 review by Colliers International’s Croatian group. Class A rates have recovered into the $21 to $24 per sf range, while a stampede to quality has allowed the region’s newest office towers to fill up sooner than anticipated.

“Absorption has accelerated in 2007 as companies have used the opportunity of favorable terms to relocate,” reports Colliers International Croatia managing director Tomislav Perovic. The industry veteran terms Zagreb’s leasing climate as “dynamic” following a third quarter when 220,000 sf was absorbed. The activity is especially encouraging given that summer is a slow time for Zagreb, says Perovic. Colliers anticipates the dose of leasing should keep rents from plummeting as much as had been feared when the glut of new supply cascaded onto the scene. Demand has not been fully wrung out despite the deals already done, says Perovic, because several major tenants have remained on the sidelines in hopes that rates would fall further. That patience has resulted in substantial interest for the two remaining buildings slated to come on line by year’s end, properties accounting for about 125,000 sf.

Beyond those buildings, Zagreb will have little new office space developed through the end of the decade when a new wave of skyscrapers is slated for arrival. That should provide ample time to pare down the 2.1 million sf of class A space delivered in 2006, says Perovic, a mark that tripled the class A inventory for Zagreb. The total office market, including owner-occupied space, is now 7.5 million sf.

Besides competitive terms, a desire among companies to operate in modern space has been a key driver for the dramatic lease-up seen thus far in 2007, Perovic says. Most of the new structures began the year with vacancies exceeding 50%, but the majority are now enjoying single-digit vacancies, and Perovic says the migration to new towers is expected to continue. That could mean doom for class B product, he says, as such properties in solid locations are being targeted for demolition to make way for 21st century replacements. Those that remain are offering tenants a further price alternative, with class B rates averaging $13 to $17 per sf, according to Colliers.

Iran-Croatia ties to rise

Croatian new envoy in Iran, Esad Prohic, visited the foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki and handed him the copy of his accreditation.

The two sides conferred over the latest bilateral ties and international issues.

Highlighting the joint interests of the two sides, Mottaki also underlined expanding bilateral relations especially economic ones.

He also called the ties between the two countries friendly, hoping this climate can promote joint cooperation in international communities.

Economical situations of the two countries are completing each other and it is possible to boost collaborations and the nations should create the proper conditions for more cooperation, the new envoy explained.

Stressing the cultural relations between the two countries, Prohic added that there is a strong will in two countries to exchange tourists and this can be a useful way to make the two nations closer to each other.

Logos Hope leaves Croatian shipyard, heads to Germany for final outfitting

Logos Hope, Operation Mobilization’s newest vessel, departed from Shipyard Trogir, Croatia, Nov. 8 after completing a two-year conversion project, thanks to $31 million in donations.

The vessel is heading to Kiel, Germany, for final outfitting before being launched into service.

“We are one major step closer to a dream that we started dreaming years ago to create more space and opportunity for our visitors to experience the love of God,” Bernd Gülker, chief executive officer of OM ships International, said in a news release.

The Faroe Islands-registered Logos Hope will be used to transport vital literature resources, aid supplies and an all-volunteer crew committed to serving port communities worldwide.

Funding for the renovation project was provided through individuals, churches, trusts and other community groups.

During its port time in Croatia, the ship’s deck was replaced, the bridge was rebuilt and upgrades to the vessel’s ventilation and sprinkler systems were completed.

In addition to the shipyard work, other upgrades were completed by volunteer professionals and other willing hands. As it moves into its final preparation, the organization is seeking additional skilled workers and continued donations.

In Kiel, the vessel’s visitor center will be furnished, as well as other onboard community facilities and public areas. The final stage is expected to take six months. Limited tours will be offered during its docking time in Kiel.

“The arrival of Logos Hope in Kiel will be a great milestone toward the completion of the project,” said Logos Hope Project Director Lloyd Nicholas, based in Australia. “We look back with thankfulness for the Lord's mercy and faithfulness. People, finance, plans and prayers have come together to make this day a reality. And we look forward with confidence that Lord will continue to lead us. We can see the moment approaching when the ship will begin active service.”

Purchased in April 2004, Logos Hope offers significantly larger capacity to serve port communities around the world. Officials said that onboard resources on existing OMSI vessels Logos II and Doulos are overstretched, with thousands of visitors daily.

OM hopes to officially launch the vessel next spring with 400 volunteer staff and crew, who will live and work on board. Applications to join the crew are now being accepted.

OMSI began in 1970 as part of the global Christian training and outreach movement, Operation Mobilization. The crew and staff of 500, including professional seafarers, are all non-salaried volunteers.

More than 70 nationalities are represented on board. They have assisted more than 37 million people who have visited the ships at over 490 different ports in 155 nations. Crew members are unified by their faith and goal to share God’s love as they serve in port communities. The ships remain in port for several weeks and open the gangways to thousands of visitors every day.

In addition to its floating book fair of 6,000 titles, the ships also bring aid and relief to needy people and places around the world. Crew members go ashore to provide medical aid, help construct schools, orphanages and homes, and give gifts of food, clothing and books. Teams also visit hospitals, orphanages and prisons to share God’s compassion and love.

Operational costs are met by sponsorship of onboard personnel, general gifts, reductions and waivers of fees by civic and port authorities, book sales, and corporate support in each port of call.

Documentary chronicles life of BYU basketball legend

The life of Kresimir Cosic is being chronicled in a documentary debuting this week at Brigham Young University.
"An Off-Court Story" details the Cosic's journey from war-torn Croatia to BYU basketball star. Cosic was a five-time All American and Western Athletic Conference record holder.Drafted into the NBA, Cosic turned down millions to return to Croatia. He eventually served as deputy ambassador to the U.S.
While at BYU, Cosic became the first Croation baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also translated the Book of Mormon into Croation.
He died in 1995 from cancer at age 46.The documentary was produced by BYU graduate Lindsey Blumell, who says she was struck by his legacy while she served a church mission in Croatia.

Croatia: Dora 08 final date announced

HRT, the Croatian broadcaster have announced that the country's final to select the next representative for the Eurovision Song Contest will be held on 23rd February 2008 in Opatija just like last year.

Although HRT usually announces the semi finals' dates as well, no such announcement was made this year. Instead, a series of six special shows preceding the final have been scheduled for January and February. Partner site eurovision-croatia.com reports that the Ususret Dori shows (Towards Dora) will take place on 12, 19, 26 January and 2, 9 and 16 February.

That could possibly mean that these shows will serve as more than preview shows for the presentation of the songs. Croatian HoD Aleksandar Konstadivov told eurovision-croatia.com that HRT are still in discussions and a final decision is yet to be made.

Croatia indicts former Serbian officer cleared by Hague tribunal

Croatian prosecutors on Tuesday indicted a former Serb army officer recently cleared of war crimes charges by a U.N. tribunal.
Miroslav Radic, 45, is accused of committing war crimes against Croat civilians and POWs during the 1991 war in Croatia.
In September, he was acquitted of related charges by the U.N. war
crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, and has since returned to Belgrade.
Radic was an officer in the Yugoslav army, which backed the Croatian Serbs who rebelled against Croatia's secession from Yugoslavia in 1991.
In Tuesday's indictment, Radic was accused of giving orders to commit war crimes in November 1991, as Serb paramilitaries and the Yugoslav army seized the town of Vukovar following a three-month siege.
Prosecutors said the indictment followed new witness testimony.
The indictment was issued by the prosecutor's office in Osijek in eastern Croatia. It also charges that Radic shot a Croat prisoner of war in the head in front of children.
The office said an international arrest warrant had been issued for Radic.
Serbia does not extradite its citizens to stand trial abroad. Croatian authorities could request his trial in Serbia or try him in absentia.

The Hague tribunal cleared Radic of involvement in the massacre of nearly 200 Croats forced out of the Vukovar hospital when the town fell.
Radic's acquittal infuriated Croatians, many of whom view the fall of Vukovar as a symbol of Serb wartime cruelty.
The Croatian government subsequently protested to the U.N., requesting that the work of its tribunal be re-examined.

Nexia: New firm in Croatia

Nexia International is delighted to announce that it has extended its coverage in Europe; for the first time Nexia will have a member firm in Croatia.

The eight-partner firm, to be known as Nexia Croatia, specializes in tax consulting but also offers audit and corporate finance related services.

The firm’s tax and audit experts have many years of experience in providing tax services to multinational clients.

Nexia International is a worldwide network of independent auditors, business advisers and consultants. The key to Nexia's success is simple: its global representation with member firms ranking in the top ten in the world's major financial and economic centres. This positioning means that Nexia is able to provide a top quality service to its clients with international needs.

Nexia International was founded in 1971 by two firms - Oppenheim Appel Dixon & Associates, USA and Spicer & Pegler, UK. These two founding member firms serviced over half the firms in the financial sector in the major centres of London and New York. Apart from the global firms, no other network has this pedigree.

Iran calls for broader cooperation with Croatia

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Tuesday that Tehran is willing to promote its cooperation with Croatia at international scenes.

Mottaki made the remarks in a meeting with new Croatian Ambassador to Tehran, Esad Prohic, who submitted a copy of his credentials to the Iranian minister.

The two discussed major bilateral and international developments during the meeting.

Mottaki stressed the need for promotion of Tehran-Zagreb economic ties while referring to the existing commonalties between the two nations.

Meanwhile, the Croatian ambassador said that Zagreb was willing to increase exchange of tourists between the two countries as that would lead to further expansion of bilateral ties.

Prohic noted that Iran and Croatia enjoyed vast cultural cooperation.

He further underscored the need for further expansion of economic cooperation between the two capitals.

Croatia's Dukat Moves for Macedonian Cheese Maker Ideal Sipka

Croatia's leading dairy producer Dukat, part of Lactalis, is close to acquiring Macedonian cheese producer Ideal Sipka for an undisclosed sum.

According to reports in Croatia’s press, the deal, which is in line with the company’s strategy of focussing on southeast Europe, will be subject to approval of the Macedonian Competition authorities.

Established in 1997, Ideal Sipka processes about 30 million litres of milk per year.

Last month, FLEXNEWS reported that Dukat invested 2 million euro to the boost production capacity of a Bosnian company it recently acquired - Inmer.

Dukat, which changed its name from Lura, posted sales of 2.2 billion kuna in 2006, roughly unchanged from 2005.

Coach Bilic turns Croatia to possible contenders

Even if Croats like to regard themselves as a football superpower and their record in the sport includes some moments of glory, the claim of the "coach of all coaches" appears outrageous. "We will be European champions," said Miroslav Blazevic, the nation's biggest coaching name. "Everybody laughed at me when I said we'd be first in the world, but they didn't when we ended up third."

Now at the helm of club minnows NK Zagreb, Blazevic secured his place in Croatian football history by taking the team to third place at the World Cup in France 1998.

But even the fiery coach admits that he speaks more as a motivator, than as a forecaster.

"You have to speak in this way - if I had said we'll be third, we would have ended up sixth," he said. "But this team certainly has the potential for a good result at the Euro."

The mastermind of the current success is coach Slaven Bilic, a fact not only recognized in Croatia. World Soccer magazine has crown the 39-year-old the world's best young coach.

Bilic took Croatia over from Zlatko Kranjcar in the wake of a disappointing first-round knockout at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, He first made sure not to listen to anybody and rejuvenated the team as he saw fit.

In his opening match, at then freshly-crowned world champions Italy, he fielded the previously little used Eduardo da Silva, Slaven Corluka and Luka Modric. They returned the favour in the form of a confidence-boosting 2-0 victory.

Asked about the "sensation," Biulic just shrugged: "Why surprise? We all knew those boys were excellent players."

Brought in as a provisional solution to a badly-shaken team ridden by personal animosities, Bilic's life expectancy on the bench was first estimated at six months, at most.

But success in the Euro qualifiers changed everything. "Pay him in gold and give him a lifetime contract," one newspaper screamed.

Bilic based his strategy on the experience and discipline of his "Foreign Legion," ranging from Spartak Moscow goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa via Juventus Turin defender Robert Kovac to Brazil-born Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva.

Bilic turned a tottering, insecure team around in less than a year. Croatia today plays attractive attacking football, similar to the style nurtured by the "golden generation" which featured stars like Zvonimir Boban and Davor Suker.

Doing so required a hard character at times. When three key players, Bosko Balaban, Ivica Olic and Darijo Srna, were caught partying instead of resting for an all-important qualifier against Russia, Bilic promptly benched them and brought them in line on short order.

Rich foreign organizations have recognized Bilic's talent and traits and are reportedly bombarding him with offers, but he so far refuses discussing anything but Croatia.

Bilic, as well as his players, have already raised their market price by qualifying, with an option of boosting it further with a good showing next summer.

Third-strongest party mulls coalition demands after Croatia election deadlock

An alliance that finished third in Croatia's elections was drafting its demands Tuesday for negotiations with the ruling conservatives and the rival Social Democrats, both of whom are trying to form the next government.

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ, finished first in Sunday's election but failed to secure the 77 seats necessary for a majority in parliament.

The new government will have to carry out further reforms to achieve Croatia's goal of joining the European Union in 2010 — as well as stimulate the economy, tackle corruption and improve living standards.

The election deadlock left the alliance of the Peasants Party and the Liberals holding the potential balance of power. Its leaders said Tuesday they would meet with Sanader first.

Both the HDZ and Social Democrats, scrambling to woo allies, insist they are in position to form a governing coalition.

President Stipe Mesic said he would give a mandate to the party that confirms it has majority in parliament.

Sanader's HDZ won 61 seats and also has the support of five deputies representing Croats living abroad.

The Social Democrats, or SDP, won 56 seats and claimed to have the support of two small parties, which would give them the support of a total of 67 deputies.

The Liberal-Peasants Party alliance elected eight deputies and could join a coalition government. Twelve lawmakers from several smaller parties could also be king-makers.

The alliance said its support would be granted in return for commitments on farming and regional development issues.

Observers argue Sanader could offer the alliance at least three Cabinet posts — trumping the SDP, which would have to cater to other allies, as well, to gain a majority in Parliament.

The postelection negotiations could last for days.

The HDZ, then a staunch nationalist party, ruled for a decade until 2000, when the Social Democrats took power on a pro-EU platform. The HDZ returned in 2003, but now is favors EU accession.

Two Macedonian citizens held in Croatia for drugs traffic

Two Macedonian citizens were held on Friday near Zagreb for sale of heroin, the Macedonian daily Dnevnik reports. A total of 2 kg of heroin were found on the two Macedonians, aged 38 and 30. The drug’s estimated value is EUR 30,000. According to the police the younger of the two has made the supplies of heroin, and later both sold it in Zagreb.

Warcrimes suspect elected to Croatia's parliament

A former Croatian lawmaker tried here for war crimes against ethnic Serbs during the country's 1991-1995 war was re-elected to parliament in this weekend's legislative elections, results showed Monday.

Branimir Glavas, accused of the wartime abduction, torture and the murder of 12 ethnic Serbs in the eastern town of Osijek, was elected as the head of his hardline Croatian Democratic Alliance of Slavonia and Baranja (HDSSB).

His party won three seats in the assembly which can have up to 160 deputies, according to electoral commission figures released after more than 95 percent of votes counted from Sunday's election.

Glavas, whose trial opened in October in Osijek, is Croatia's most senior politician to face war crimes charges to which he pleaded not guilty.

His party said earlier that if elected in the parliament, Glavas would have to be released from detention since he would have parliamentary immunity.

Glavas, 51, was the defence chief of Osijek at the time of the 1991 incidents of which he is accused.

Croatia's proclamation of independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 sparked the four-year war with rebel Serbs who opposed the move.

Glavas is a former top official of the incumbent Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). After the 2003 legislative elections he entered the parliament as an HDZ deputy but later split to form his own party.

The conservative HDZ emerged from the elections with a lead over the opposition leftist Social Democrats (SDP), although the latter has refused to concede defeat and both have started talks to find coalition partners.

Under Croatia's electoral law, the president must give the mandate to form a government to the party that shows it has a parliamentary majority.

A total of 4.4 million people were entitled to cast ballots, of whom some 400,000 Croatians living abroad, mostly in neighbouring Bosnia.

Slovenian customs strike creates jams

Slovenian customs officials took industrial action, slowing traffic and forcing trucks at the border with Croatia to wait for up to eight hours.

The work-to-rule started less than a month before Slovenia, which joined the European Union in 2004, becomes a part of the border-free Schengen area.

At the same time, it must impose a much stricter regime on its border with Croatia, which is not an EU member yet.

The customs officers' union wants a faster increase of salaries than planned by the government and a clear programme for deployment of the officers when Croatia joins the EU.

When Croatia becomes an EU member, expected by 2011, the border between Slovenia and Croatia will virtually disappear and make customs redundant.

They also demand customs officers be exempt from the government's plan to cut the civil service by some 2%.

"The government has to come up with a binding plan of what will happen with the officers after Croatia joins the EU," Dusan Pecnik, a leader of customs officials' union said.

Negotiations with the government are due on Tuesday.

Croatia chief Zorislav Srebric's shoplift drama

IT WAS a great night for Croatia last week as it beat England 3-2 at Wembley to advance to the Euro 2008 finals, but the nation's football chief almost didn't get to see it.

Zorislav Srebric was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting a newspaper at Gatwick Airport, but the situation was sorted out and written off as a misunderstanding. If only England could have explained its loss in the same way.

Mountain of a gaffe, my dear

AS EMBARRASSED as England was, it was trumped pre-game by opera singer Tony Henry, who performed the Croatian national anthem. It seems Henry mispronounced a word, which went undetected by most of the 80,000 fans, but not the Croatian players. The line in the anthem was "Mila kuda si planina". Rough translation: "You know my dear how we love your mountains." But Henry sang: "Mila kura si planina." Rough translation: "My dear, my penis is a mountain." While Henry was red-faced on learning of his blunder, the Croatian players loved it and have invited him to the Euro 2008 finals.

Keane blasts England players

FORMER Manchester United and Ireland captain Roy Keane is prone to call a spade a shovel, and he didn't hold back after England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008. Now Sunderland manager, Keane took a shot at the superstars with the super egos. "From the outside looking in, I tend to think there are too many egos in there, too many big heads," Keane said. "You look at the England set-up and they don't appear to be a happy bunch. Watching the highlights and some of the players . . . and their body language, I don't think international football is that important to a lot of these players these days."

The Sun rises on 'black night'

IT'S still hard to top The Sun headline, "Swedes 2 Turnips 0" when England lost to Sweden under manager Graham Taylor. But the paper didn't hold back after the loss to Croatia. Shaun Custis wrote: "Useless, pathetic, insipid, spineless, desperate, rubbish and all those other words we are not allowed to print. There have been some black nights in the history of English football. But this, surely, was the darkest of them all."

Victory driven by billionaire

RUSSIAN billionaire Leonid Fedun came up with the right incentive to get Croatia over the line against England, helping Russia to make the Euro 2008 finals. The owner of Spartak Moscow, Fedun offered four Mercedes Benz cars to Croatia's best players if they won."What will I do now?" Fedun said. "I'll deliver on my promises and transfer those cars to the Croatian federation."

Thieves work through team sheet

LIVERPOOL striker Dirk Kuyt has become the fifth Reds player to have his house burgled in the past 18 months. Kuyt's luxury home was broken into while he was on international duty with Holland last week. Among the players' stolen items have been two Porsches, jewellery and a Champions League medal. But Everton winger Andy van der Meyde might have had the most unusual item stolen: his pedigree puppy.

Goalkeeper banks on 'blind' faith

RULE No. 1 for any rookie goalkeeper is have a good excuse to explain any soft goals conceded. France debutant Sebastian Frey had his get-out-of-jail card ready to go after the 2-2 draw with Ukraine. Basically, Frey helped Andriy Shevchenko's header into the net, but protested to the media: "I was blinded by a floodlight."

No half-measures for coach

DYNAMO Kiev acting coach Oleg Luzhny is obviously following the philosophy that a coach needs to keep apart the players who hate him and the players who still aren't sure. Which might explain why he wants to sack half of the squad. "I have what you might call a black list of players who, in my opinion, do not meet Dynamo's requirements," he said on the club website. Whoever said it's not worth doing things by halves?

England's Nightmare Revisited -- Croatia is Lying in Wait

President Thabo Mbeki and Fifa president Sepp Blatter officially got the countdown to the 2010 Soccer World Cup under way after the confirmation of the preliminary draw at a slick and glittering ceremony in Durban yesterday.

Blatter said yesterday's draw -- watched by millions around the globe -- would end all questions and doubts as to whether SA would be the next host of the biggest football tournament on the globe.

"Now there is no doubt the World Cup will be here in SA in 2010, and will be a big success," he said, to wild cheers inside Durban's International Convention Centre. "This is the official kick off of the 2010 World Cup. This is now the window to SA and it is opening to the world."

Mbeki said SA would deliver on promises the nation made to Fifa after the world football governing body confirmed Africa as the host of the 2010 World Cup in Zurich, Switzerland, in May 2004.

"We reiterate what we said a year ago in Berlin after the unveiling of the official logo that Africa is ready," he said.

"Africa is ready, Africa's time has come. Africa is calling, come to Africa in 2010," Mbeki said.

At a glittering function that 2010 local organising committee CEO Danny Jordaan said cost more than R30m to produce, music stars including Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour and South African Afro-fusion band Freshlyground gave the event an African aura.

The draw kept coaches from some of the biggest football nations in the world at the edge of their seats as Fifa secretary-general Jérôme Valcke -- assisted by soccer legends George Weah, Kaizer Motaung, Jomo Sono, and former players Lucas Radebe, Christian Karembeu and Marcel Desailly -- led proceedings.

The biggest gasps in the room were reserved for the confirmation of Group 4 in the African qualifying zone, where Bafana Bafana were thrown into the same group as old enemies Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Though Bafana do not have to qualify for the 2010 World Cup because they are the host nation, the African zone qualifiers for the showpiece will also double as qualifiers to the 2010 African Nations Cup. This means Bafana must play some tough matches against nemesis Nigeria to ensure qualification.

Eyebrows were raised when Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was nowhere to be found and did not grant the South African media a chance to question him on the draw. Parreira has evaded the media often after big Bafana matches and his latest no-show did not go down well.

Other coaches stayed behind to comment, but Bafana's coach was nowhere to be seen.

In an event that had no shortage of high profile personalities, big-name coaches including Guus Hiddink, Marco van Basten and Felipe Scolari made appearances to see for themselves what they would face when the road to SA begins.

The International Convention Centre erupted in mock horror when it was confirmed that England would once again be in the same qualifying group as tormentors Croatia.

Wounds are still raw in England after Croatia managed to eliminate David Beckham and company 3-2 from the Euro 2008 at Wembley Stadium a few days ago. There was plenty of buzz about whether England might now also miss out on qualifying for 2010 because of a tough group that also includes last year's quarter-finalists Ukraine, Andorra, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Local organising committee chairman Irvin Khoza said the slogan for the 2010 Soccer World Cup would be Kinaki -- Celebrate African Unity. In other groups of huge interest to the visitors, France was drawn against Romania, Austria, Faeroe Islands, Lithuania and Serbia in Group 7. World Cup champions Italy start the defence of their title grouped with Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro.

England gets another shot at Croatia

England will have another chance at Croatia as the two teams were drawn into World Cup qualifying Group F on Sunday.

Croatia ended England's hopes of advancing to EURO 2008 next June with a 3-2 win at Wembley Stadium last Wednesday, but The Three Lions will get another crack to overcome Croatia and advance to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Joining Croatia and England in the group is Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.

Croatia enters as the top team in the group, but England represents a big challenge as the second team. Ukraine qualified for the 2006 World Cup but will have a tough time doing so for 2010 with two strong teams at the top.

Belarus will not likely factor into the race, but could do enough to spoil it for someone else. The team finished fourth in its qualifying group for EURO 2008, including a win over the Netherlands in the final match.

Kazakhstan won just two of its 14 games in EURO qualifying, but proved to be a tougher test than most expected, while Andorra is little more than just a team to fill out the groups, having lost all 12 of its qualifiers by a combined 42-2 score.

Group A should be competitive with Portugal, Sweden and Denmark at the top, while Hungary, Albania and Malta will likely struggle.

Portugal and Sweden both finished second in their respective qualifying groups, with Portugal coming off of a semifinal appearance in the 2006 World Cup. Sweden should push Portugal at the top, but expect the Swedes to battle Denmark up until the end for second place.

There is no dominant team in Group B, which could make this one of the most wide open groups in qualifying. Greece edged out England for the last spot among the top seeded teams, and they head up the group. Israel and Switzerland join the Greeks, with any one of these three having a chance to take the top spot. Israel has never qualified for a World Cup, but this looks to be their best chance to do so. Moldova, Latvia and Luxembourg make up the final three teams.

The Czech Republic is the favorite to emerge as the top team in Group C, with Poland and Northern Ireland looking like the two teams that will try to grab the second spot.The Czechs failed to advance out of the group stage in the 2006 World Cup, which was a disappointment, but they should have no trouble getting back, while Poland will be favored to claim second. The rest of the group features Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino.

Germany is clearly the class of Group D, with Russia and Finland after them. The Germans are one of the favorites to capture the EURO 2008 crown, and also figure to have no trouble winning this qualifying group, which also includes Wales, Azerbaijan, and Liechtenstein.

Spain finished unbeaten in its last nine EURO qualifiers, and should hold off Turkey to finish at the head of Group E. The Turks will try to hold off Belgium for second in what is a pretty weak group overall. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia and Estonia make up the rest of the group.

Group G front-runners France will have some competition from Romania and Serbia, but figure to come out on top of the group. Romania will be favored to finish second, while Lithuania, Austria and the Faroe Islands round out the group.

Italy looks to have an easy time in Group H with Bulgaria and Ireland as the closest competition, while the rest of the group contains Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro.

Group I has only five teams, but three that could challenge for the group lead. The Netherlands will be favored, but Scotland and Norway are both capable of beating out the Dutch after good qualifying campaigns. Macedonia and Iceland make up the rest of the group.

The top team in each group will automatically qualify for the 2010 World Cup, while the eight best second-place teams will meet in a two-legged playoff to determine the final four spots from Europe.

Coalition talks after Croatia poll

Both sides in Croatia's close-fought parliamentary elections have begun talks to form a government.

However, the ruling conservatives appeared better equipped to muster a coalition to lead the ex-Yugoslav country into the European Union.

Both Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's Croatian Democratic Union and opposition centre-left Social Democrats fell short of the estimated 77 deputies required for a majority in parliament in Sunday's election and began wooing allies. Both leaders claimed they would make it but analysts believe Sanader's party has more chance.

Sanader's party, known by its acronym HDZ, was to get 61 deputies and the Social Democrats 56, the state-run Electoral Commission said with 97% of votes counted. HDZ is likely to add five to six seats won by Croats living abroad, HDZ's traditional voters' base, giving him at least 66 seats. The Social Democrats, or SDP, could get a total of 66 deputies as well with its two certain leftist allies, but that alliance would require some deals and concessions.

President Stipe Mesic said he would give a mandate to the one that provides "convincing evidence" that it has a majority in parliament.

Croatia's pro-Western course is not at stake and the new government is expected to lead the ex-Yugoslav nation into the EU by 2010.

Sanader declared victory and his spokesman, Ratko Macek said the HDZ has "greater coalition capital. We should get a mandate."

The HDZ said European and regional leaders, including German chancellor Angela Merkel and the EU's official in charge of the bloc's expansion, congratulated Sanader.

The Social Democrats, or SDP, was not giving up and its spokeswoman, Gordana Grbic said: "Let's wait for the final results and also the outcome of our talks with potential partners."

The party leader, Zoran Milanovic, said earlier the party was "starting to form" a new government.

Future Croatian Premier Has Job Cut Out For Him

The future Croatian prime minister, whether Sanader or Milanovic, will not have a easy task at all, Slovenia’s Delo daily writes.

All world media covered the parliamentary elections in Croatia, from the most influential such as the International Herald Tribune, Reuters and Wall Street Journal, to Chinese, Malaysian and United Arab Emirates media.

Reuters reported this morning that there was no clear winner in Croatian elections. The agency cites data according to which the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won 60 and Social Democratic Party (SDP) 57 seats in parliament, stressing that the leading HDZ did not have a parliament majority. The two parties, between which there are no clear differences, are starting negotiations with coalition partners and, due to the complex electoral system in Croatia, both have equal chances to form the future government, Reuters writes.

The election will not affect the financial market

It is interesting that the BBC and New York Times ran no news about the electoral results, only yesterday’s voting announcements, while, on the other hand, the Khaleej Times from the United Arab Emirates, ran an article about how the chief opposition party is hoping that it will be able to form a government despite the fewer number of votes than the ruling party got.

The prominent Wall Street Journal ran a short article about exit polls showing that the left-centre opposition party was in a slight lead ahead of the ruling conservatives, but that neither party had a clear majority. The formation of the future government is unclear and depends on post-electoral agreements, the paper writes.

The International Herald Tribune also only ran the results of exit polls according to which the opposition was in the lead. According to the results, the paper assesses that the social democrats would have 61 seats in parliament and the HDZ 57, but stresses that the ruling party can also count on votes from the Diaspora, mainly from Bosnia. The election should not significantly affect the financial market because the country’s political and economic programmes are conditional upon negotiations with the EU, the International Herald Tribune wrote.

Fight for coalition partners

AFP reported about the fight for power in Croatia. The agency ran recent results according to which the ratio of mandates was 60:57 and writes that both parties are looking for coalition partners. The extensive article relayed the atmosphere from the HDZ and SDP’s electoral headquarters, as well as statements by Ivo Sanader and Zoran Milanovic. The AFP reported about the history of multi-party elections in Croatia and the rise of Zoran Milanovic to power whom many are comparing to Tony Blair.

Serbia’s B92 radio announced stories about coalitions in Croatia. According to the radio, the HDZ has a slight advantage over the SDP and both parties celebrated yesterday night. According to the preliminary, incomplete results, all three national minority MPs had confirmed their mandates in the national minority electoral unit.

Slovenia’s daily Delo ran the electoral results issued by the State Electoral Commission at 4am and announced that the future prime minister, whether it be Sanader or Milanovic, would not have an easy task. The daily also writes that Sanader had said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had congratulated him, as did the president of the European People’s Party, Wilfried Martens.

Asian media have more recent information

The Euronews news site ran an article entitled “Champagne On Ice in Croatia Elections”, about the HDZ winning the parliamentary election and its second government stint, but that it was impossible to confirm the victory of either party. Talks on coalitions will be crucial and the “former amateur boxer” Zoran Milanovic continues to fight to form a government, says the news site.

Khaleej Times writes that the Croatian opposition is hoping to form the future government and runs statements by Ivo Sanader and Zoran Milanovic. The same information was published by Al Jazeera.

China’s People’s Daily reports that the Croatian prime minister had proclaimed electoral victory. It ran Sanader’s statement about the need to negotiate with the head of the Croatian Peasants’ Party, Josip Friscic, about the formation of the new government.

Malaysia Sun from Malaysia ran a brief article with the latest results of the elections and writes that the race is still uncertain and tight.

Croatia: Ruling conservatives 'win polls' but government's fate uncertain

Prime minister Ivo Sanader’s ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party scored a narrow victory in Sunday’s parliamentary election. But it was uncertain whether he would be able to firm a new governing coalition.

The main campaign issues were corruption, the economy, and reforms needed for Euopean Union membership. Croatia began pre-entry talks with the EU in October 2005.

According to unofficial results, the HDZ won 60 seats in the 153-seat parliament, followed by the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) with 57 MPs.

Lagging behind was a coalitionmade up of the Croatian Peasants Party (HSS), the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) with eight seats and the Croatian People’s Party (HNS) with seven.

The HDZ can still count on five seats representing Croats voting abroad, but analysts said the SDP stands an equally good chance of forming a coalition government with minor parties.

The SDP can count support from the HNS, several other minor parties and some of eight MPs representing minorities including three who represent Serbs. President Stipe Mesic said he would offer a mandate for new government to the party which represented proof that it can secure a 77-seat majority in parliament.

In proclaiming victory, Sanader said he was confident he would form a new government coalition, adding the election results were proof that his government perfromed well in the past four years.

But SDP president Zoran Milanovic said he had already started consultations with other parties’ leaders, vowing he had the capacity to form a new governing coalition. “We are talking to all who think that Croatia needs change, and a new, more honest and capable government,” Milanovic said.

Analysts said the results signalled that Croatia was moving towards a two-party system because all the minor parties received almost half the votes they got in the 2003 election. The biggest loser was the fa-right Croatian Party of Rights, which won only one seat, as compared to seven won in 2003.

Analysts said the election outcome reflected the fact that the HDZ and the SDP didn’t much differ on the key campaign issues, such as the economy, unemployment and social policies. Both supported Croatia’s drive towards joining the European Union and NATO.

Croatian newspapers reported on Monday that the next few days will see “fervent political trading” as the two leading parties tried to secure a parliamentary majority. Most most agreed that Sanader was in a slightly better position to do so.

Final election results are due to be released on 5 December.

Croatia wary of revenge in rematch

CROATIAN coach Slaven Bilic has admitted he would rather have avoided facing an England squad bent on revenge in the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.

Bilic's talented young squad beat England twice to ensure it missed out on Euro 2008, triggering the dismissal of Steve McClaren as manager.

But despite his confidence that he can inflict just as much pain on whoever succeeds McClaren, Bilic admitted he would have preferred to avoid a rematch. "Everyone in Croatia was saying, 'Give us England again', but I wanted to avoid them," he said.

"It is a very, very hard draw because they are by far the best team from the second pot. We are not afraid of them but they have got a terrific team and brilliant players. They should gel and they are going to gel."

The 1966 cup winner was handed a rapid chance to gain revenge on the 1998 semi-finalist, whose 3-2 win at Wembley last week ensured that England failed to qualify for a major finals for the first time in 14 years.

Managerless England also was drawn against last year's quarter-finalists Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra in group six, while defending champion Italy, beginning its quest for a fifth title, comes up against Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro in group eight.

"It is a very good draw," said Giancarlo Abete, the president of the Italian Football Federation. "We could not have asked for better. As world champions, we should win this group."

Scotland, which gave France and Italy a run for their money in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, found itself up against the Netherlands in group nine, which also includes Norway, Iceland and Macedonia.

Dutch coach Marco van Basten said Scotland deserved respect.

"I watched their match against Italy last week and they were very good and we know they will always fight to the last minute," he said.

The winners of the nine European groups qualify automatically with the eight best runners-up entering two-leg play-offs to decide the remaining four spots for the region.

The only team guaranteed to appear at the finals, which begin on June 11, 2010, is host South Africa. But it could affect the chance for qualification of African powerhouse Nigeria after being drawn in the same group, with the results also counting towards the 2010 African Cup of Nations.

With the focus for once on football, concerns about stop-start stadium construction, security and other logistical issues associated with hosting the finals in Africa for the first time were put aside.

At a glittering ceremony in Durban attended by about 3000 delegates and watched by a worldwide television audience of tens of millions, FIFA president Sepp Blatter and South African President Thabo Mbeki pledged that preparations were well on track.

"Now there's no doubt that the 2010 World Cup will be here, will be a big success," Blatter said.

England, Croatia drawn together

Politics and soccer will mix in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, which can't make FIFA happy.

South and North Korea will meet in Asian qualifying for the tournament, and the United States could face Cuba in the CONCACAF semifinals.

England also was drawn with the same Croatia team that stopped it from qualifying for the European Championship earlier in the week.

The qualifying draw for the 2010 World Cup on Sunday began the countdown to the event in South Africa, the first World Cup to be held in Africa.

FIFA, soccer's world organizing body, insists that politics and sports should not come together. It might be difficult to separate the two after this draw.

The Americans have a first-round bye before they play the winner of an opening-round series between Barbados and Dominica. The U.S. team will be heavily favored to make the semifinals, where the Cubans could be waiting. Cuba will play the winner of the Aruba-Antigua and Barbuda opening series.

Cuba and the United States have not met in World Cup qualifying since 1949 in Mexico, when the Americans went 1-0-1 against the Cubans to advance to the tournament in Brazil.

Veteran U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller pulled his team's name out.

"There is no easy draw as players and teams continue to improve," Keller said. The team's goal, he said, was to qualify for this "most historic World Cup ... the motivation is there for our players to make sure we grasp that with both hands."

Mexico heads CONCACAF Group Two and will play the winner of Belize vs. St. Kitts and Nevis in the second round.

Six teams will make the CONCACAF finals, with the top three in round-robin play during that round moving into the World Cup field. The fourth-place team from the regional finals will play the fifth-place club from South America for another spot in the tournament.

South American qualifying has already started, with the teams having played four rounds of matches.

The highlight of the Asian leg of the draw was the 2008 meetings of North and South Korea. The neighbors, who fought a war in the early 1950s and remain political foes - although relations have warmed a bit in recent years - are grouped with Jordan and Turkmenistan completing the group.

When Croatia was drawn into England's Group Six in Europe, there were applause in the auditorium. And gasps.

"Everyone in Croatia was saying 'Give us England again,' but I wanted to avoid England," said Croatia coach Slaven Bilic, who masterminded his team's home and away victories over the English in Euros 2008 qualifying.

"It is a very, very hard draw because they are by far the best team from the second pot. The only team I wanted to avoid was England. We are not afraid of them, but they have got a terrific team and brilliant players. They should jell and they are going to jell."

The other teams in World Cup Group 6 are Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra. Ukraine was in the 2006 tournament and made the quarterfinals.

Italy, which won its fourth world title last year, was satisfied by the sight of Bulgaria, Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia and newcomer Montenegro in its qualifying group. None of those teams has ever made it to a major championship game.

"Bulgaria, Ireland, Georgia and Montenegro are countries that do not have a great soccer tradition, but they are difficult teams," Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said.

"On paper, Bulgaria could be the one that competes with us for qualification. Like all countries from the former Yugoslavia, Montenegro is a stubborn team. Let's not even talk about Ireland. We are familiar with Georgia, having faced them in qualifying for the European Championship."

Three-time World Cup winner Germany has Russia, Finland and Wales as its toughest opponents, and there are relatively easy tasks for Spain and the Netherlands, who also will be among the main contenders from Europe.

France, a World Cup winner in 1998 and runner-up to Italy last year, is in probably the toughest European group, with Romania and Serbia to deal with.

Only the winners of each of the nine European groups are guaranteed spots in the finals. The eight best runners-up will move on to playoffs for the other four spots.

Jean-Pierre Escalettes, president of the French football federation, was satisfied with the outcome.

"It's never easy, but it could have been worse," he said. "Romania is solid, Serbia is solid. Austria, you never know what they are capable of doing. We will do everything to finish first."

Croatia's ruling party searches partners after poll

No outright winner but Croatia's ruling conservative party has the most seats. That was the picture after yesterday's general election, with 95 per cent of the votes counted.

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's HDZ grouping had 60 seats, while his closest rivals, the Social Democrats, were just behind on 57.

Both fell short of the 77 needed for a majority and, therefore, the hunt is on for coalition partners.

Sanader said: "The HDZ's victory is certain. Croatian voters have shown that they trust us and the policies we have been implementing over the last four years."

Zoran Milanovic believes his Social Democrats may yet be able to pull enough smaller parties on board to lead the country. He said: "We are immediately starting talks on forming a new government and I am sure we shall succeed."

It is up to the president to nominate the next prime minister. Stjepan Mesic said he will give the mandate to whoever can prove that they will have a majority in parliament.

Close finish in Croatia election

Croatia's ruling conservative party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), has a narrow lead with most votes counted after the general election.

The electoral commission said the HDZ would have around 60 MPs - three more than the opposition Social Democrats.

Both parties are wooing potential coalition partners, in an effort to secure the parliamentary majority of 77 seats necessary to govern.

President Stipe Mesic has to decide who has the best chance of governing.

The main campaign issues were corruption, the economy, and reforms needed to take Croatia into the EU.

Both the main parties are committed to completing Croatia's entry into the European Union, which they hope to achieve by 2010, although the EU has warned them to do more to tackle corruption.

Voters in more than 50 countries took part, as a significant proportion of the electorate - 400,000 people - lives abroad.

Analysts say the diaspora vote could swing the result in favour of the HDZ.

"The Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ's) victory is certain... Croatian voters have shown that they trust the HDZ and the policies we've been implementing in the last four years," said Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.

His opponent, Social Democrat leader Zoran Milanovic, was also confident of victory.

"We are immediately starting talks for forming the new government and I am sure we shall succeed," he said.

President: I Will Give Mandate To Majority

The one who brings me convincing evidence of a majority in parliament, will be given the mandate, said president Mesic.

The president of Croatia Stjepan Mesic will have to make the hardest decision, who he will give the mandate to for forming the new Cabinet.

- Fears of large coalitions that could harm democracy have stopped - said Mesic. He added that we have two potential candidates, HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) and SDP (Social Democratic Party) for forming coalitions that will for the new Cabinet.

He claimed that tonight, we will know the winner of the elections, and that there is a chance for a logical coalition.
- The one who brings me convincing evidence of who will have a majority in parliament, will be given the mandate, concluded Croatia’s president.

Croatians head to the polls

Croatians have started voting in a closely contested parliamentary election, with the Social Democratic party (SDP) hoping for a return to power after four years.

Opinion polls showed the election on Sunday would be a close run thing between the SDP and the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), with a coalition government a possible outcome.

A total of 4,478,386 Croatians are entitled to vote. Of them, about 405,000 live abroad and started casting their ballots on Saturday.

Many of Croatia's expatriate voters are said to traditionally be HDZ supporters.

The two parties share similar agendas, notably concerning Croatia's EU and Nato membership, and analysts agree that the former Yugoslav republic will have similar foreign and internal policies, irrespective of who wins.

"There is no difference" in foreign policy, said Davor Gjenero, a political analyst.

"There is a quite strong vision about common national politics and, regardless which one party forms the government after elections, there will be no important changes in the general direction of developing Croatia."

Croatia hopes to become the EU's 28th member by the end of the decade and wants to be invited to join Nato next year.

It will become a non-permanent member of the UN on January 1.

"No difference"

The economic programmes of the HDZ and the SDP differ slightly, with the HDZ favouring liberal policies while the SDP has signalled it favours greater state intervention.

Under the leadership of Ivo Sanader, Croatia's current prime minister, the HDZ has managed to shake off its earlier nationalist legacy and transform itself into a pro-European force.

It was returned to power in November 2003 after three years in opposition.

Sanader says his government has achieved economic growth, created more jobs and developed education and infrastructure.

He says he will do more and pledges "zero tolerance" for corruption.

But, the Social Democrats, led by Zoran Milanovic, a lawyer by education who has appealed to younger voters with his straight-talking tactics such as admitting he tried marijuana, accuses the HDZ of corruption and economic mismanagement.

The SDP has said it will tackle corruption as well as stamping out unemployment, which currently stands at 14 per cent, and raising salaries, now averaging 4,900 kuna ($980) a month.

"I don't know if they [the SDP] can do it better, but I am ready to give them a try," said Sanja Zlatar, a veterinarian.

Slovenian customs to strike over border changes

Slovenian custom agents on the border with Croatia will strike at midnight Sunday in a dispute over working conditions once the country joins the open-border Schengen trade area, reports said.

The open-ended action, which will see agents take longer over their work so as to slow down the passage of vehicles across the border, comes four weeks before Slovenia joins the European Union's Schengen visa regime on December 21.

Slovenia's border with Croatia will become the border of the Schengen area, and the customs agents union is demanding talks with the government on the subsequent reorganisation of their work, higher salaries and more benefits.

"We already have a shortage of staff and our agents are currently facing a work overload," union spokesman Dusan Miscevic was quoted as saying to private POP TV.

The union also wants a plan to prepare for the possible accession to the European Union of Croatia, Slovenia's only non-EU neighbouring country.

Such a move would mean Slovenia's border with Croatia would no longer require the presence of custom agents, leaving some 830 agents out of work, according to the custom agents union.

The government agreed last week to meet some of the demands but the union decided to call a strike until these demands were fulfilled or new talks launched.

Pompey star Kranjcar backs Redknapp for England job

Harry Redknapp may be dismissive of his chances of replacing Steve McClaren but the chief architect of England's demise against Croatia has no doubt about the Portsmouth manager's credentials for the post.

FA chief executive Brian Barwick, who will seek advice from Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger about who should take over, could do worse than also consider the opinion of Portsmouth's Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar.

Having embarrassed Scott Carson at Wembley with a dipping strike, Kranjcar sealed Portsmouth's sixth consecutive away win in all competitions with a 30-yard thunderbolt.

Redknapp remains the Premier League's highest-placed English manager at sixth and Kranjcar sees no reason why his club manager could not make the transition to international level.

"He has an international team at Portsmouth," said Kranjcar.

"It would be sad to lose him but I would be happy for him because I think he would love the job and I think he would be very good.

"He likes to play football; he likes to keep the ball.

"I also heard from Slaven Bilic and the players who played under him.

"He was one of the big reasons I came here. He has proved with his results at Pompey and West Ham that he can fill that position."

Equally, Kranjcar is at a loss as to why team-mate David James is not first-choice England goalkeeper.

"David James has been the best goalkeeper in England for the past two seasons since I came over.

"So, for me, it is a strange decision that he is not England's No 1," said Kranjcar.

His omission against Croatia came as a mystery to James as well.

He said: "I fully understand the situation with Scotty playing in Austria, but then effectively I was demoted to No 3 and kept on the bench for the biggest game against Croatia.

"I wouldn't say I was upset, but I was disappointed.

"My inclusion in the squad was to put pressure on Robbo and to compete for a place.

"I've got no intention of finishing. I'll see who the next man is and who his favourites are."

Birmingham goalkeeper Richard Kingson gifted Portsmouth their opener on his Premier League debut.

Like Carson, he will no doubt look to James' ability to recover from costly mistakes early in his career.

Caretaker manager Eric Black's first major change, having taken over from Steve Bruce, was to drop experienced Maik Taylor in favour of the Ghana keeper.

It proved no more successful then McClaren's decision to replace Paul Robinson with Carson when Kingson allowed Sulley Muntari's weak first-half effort to dribble through his hands.

Black said: "My policy has always been that a team should be selected based on work in training.

"Maik has been away on international duty, Richard Kingson was looking good and I thought he deserved his opportunity."

Roughly Half of Croatians Want to Join the EU

Most people in Croatia want their country to become a member of the European Union (EU) but more than a third still oppose the idea, according to a poll by Promocija Plus. 49.8 per cent of respondents support Croatia’s accession to the EU, while 38.6 per cent oppose it.

In 1991, Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia. The country became an official candidate for EU membership in June 2004, and began its accession talks in October 2005. The Croatian government is looking at 2009 as a possible entry date, but the EU has urged the country to reform its judicial system and fight corruption before it makes a final decision.

On Nov. 23, political analyst Zeljko Trkanjec predicted that accession talks will be part of the agenda of any future Croatian government, saying, "Whoever wins will have to speed up reforms and wrap up the EU membership talks. And if they’re smart, they’ll make the tough cuts in the first year."

Slovenia is the only former component of Yugoslavia that has joined the EU. In December 2006, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia officially became a candidate for membership.

Croatian election results to have no direct impact on ratings

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said the results of the post-election talks that will determine who forms the next Croatian government will not have a direct impact on the sovereign credit ratings on the Republic of Croatia.

Both main parties, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), are working towards forming a coalition and winning a mandate to form government. President Stjepan Mesic has announced he will give the mandate to whichever party comes forward with convincing evidence of a strong coalition that will have a majority in parliament.

Both the parties have a strong commitment to EU membership, which acts as a policy anchor and, regardless of who forms government, the outlook on the ratings on Croatia is stable, the rating agency said.

The outlook balances the ongoing improvements to the sovereign's fiscal accounts and the ongoing stabilization of the external debt dynamics against the structural changes still needed to make these improvements sustainable in the long term, S&P said.

Blues fury as Modric set to opt for Arsenal

The Gunners are eager to sign the Dinamo Zagreb midfielder, who played a key role for Croatia in eliminating England from Euro 2008 at the qualification stage at Wembley Stadium last week.

Chelsea are also willing to part with the around £18million to sign the 22-year-old, yet sources close to the player claim he would rather link up with compatriot Eduardo da Silva at the Emirates Stadium.

“Luka is very close to Eduardo,” the source is quoted in the Daily Star Sunday. “They played together and are friends and, if Arsenal want him, he would choose them over Chelsea. That makes sense for him.”

England meet Croatia again in World Cup

England, humiliated at Wembley just four days ago, were drawn to face their tormentors Croatia once again when the preliminary draw for the 2010 World Cup was made on Sunday.

Croatia beat England 3-2 on Wednesday to knock the game's founders out of Euro 2008 and also beat them 2-0 in an earlier group qualifying game.

The pairing was the highlight of the draw among four continental confederations for a qualifying competition which will produce 31 finalists to join hosts South Africa.

There were gasps in the audience at Durban's International Convention Centre when the two were paired in European Group 6, which also includes Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.

The winners of each of nine European groups qualify while the eight best runners-up compete in playoffs for four places in the finals.

World champions Italy were drawn in Group 8 with their main rivals Bulgaria and Ireland. France, losing finalists last year at the World Cup in Germany, face Romania and Serbia in Group 7.

Italian federation president Giancarlo Abete said he was happy with the draw.

"It's a very good draw for us. It's a group we should win as we are world champions."

Croatia votes to form new parliament

Rival Croatian parties in battle both expressed confidence of being able to hammer out a coalition government after the narrowest elections in the young country's history.

The rival claims came after the electoral commission revealed inconclusive results showing the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) having a wafer-thin lead over the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP)in yesterday's poll.

According to partial results from the elections, the HDZ won at least 60 seats compared with 57 for the SDP. The parliament can have up to 160 deputies, meaning both sides would have to seek out coalition partners.

"Now the HDZ victory is certain, (but) I will not and I cannot proclaim it before final results are completed. Nothing major can change, the HDZ is winning," said prime minister and HDZ leader Ivo Sanader.

"We are moving to form a government in talks and agreement with all those who believe that Croatia needs a change, that it needs a new, more capable and more honest government," countered SDP party chief Zoran Milanovic.

The premier told HDZ loyalists that he had informed President Stipe Mesic he expected to receive a mandate to form a new government.

EU membership talks

Sunday's legislative elections, Croatia's fifth since it became independent from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, were seen as a contest for who would lead the country to EU membership.

Regardless of the outcome, Croatians are united in their strong belief that their country will soon become the 28th member of the European Union.

"I don't hate the Balkans. We are a part of (the region), but joining the EU will guarantee us stability, notably for our kids," said Marijan Gasparovic, 72, a former guest worker in the West, who voted for HDZ.

"It doesn't matter who leads us to Europe, but it is necessary for them to fulfill that goal. The quicker it's done, the better it will be for our country," said Tomislav Maric, a faithful SDP supporter.

The Adriatic country opened membership talks with the EU in 2005 and is hoping to join the bloc by the end of the decade. It also expects an invitation from NATO in April 2008.

The HDZ was founded by late nationalist president Franjo Tudjman, who led Croatia to independence but was blamed for years of isolation after the country's 1991-1995 war.

However, since 2000 it has reshaped its image as a more mainstream conservative party with a strong pro-European orientation under Mr Sanader's leadership.

The SDP has a fresh-faced leadership team headed by Mr Milanovic, an ambitious former diplomat who took over after the April death of former premier Ivica Racan.

Unburdened by the party's communist legacy, Mr Milanovic has been key to the SDP's rising support ahead of the elections.

But the former top law student -- whom supporters have compared to former British leader Tony Blair -- is not eligible for the post of prime minister, which has been set aside for former economic minister Ljubo Jurcic.

Croatia: Race Starts for PM's Post

roatia’s Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader, and opposition leader Zoran Milanovic have both said they will be seeking to form a new government after a close result in Sunday’s elections.

With nearly all votes in Croatia counted, Sanader’s centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, came first with 61 seats but the governing party was only five seats up on Milanovic’s Social Democrats, SDP, who achieved their best result since multi-party elections were restored in 1990.

Whoever forms a government will need the support of 77 deputies in the 152-seat parliament.

Sanader told Croatian media during the night that he had spoken to President Stjepan Mesic, and that he expected to receive a mandate to form a new government.

With votes still coming in from the traditionally conservative Croatian voters resident outside the country, the HDZ is expected to win a further five seats.

Milanovic, whose party lost power to a reformed, less nationalist HDZ four years ago, expressed his satisfaction with the SDP’s performance, and said he would try to form a new government.

“I also spoke with President Mesic, but I don’t want to tell the public about the details. At the moment, these are just preliminary and unofficial results“, Milanovic said at his party’s offices.

The SDP’s chances of forming a government were stressed by some of their traditional partners, including Vesna Pusic, leader of the Croatian People’s Party, HNS, which won seven seats.

However, the alliance that is likely to play the crucial role in deciding who can put together a government is the grouping of the Croatian Peasants’ Party, the Croatian Social-Liberal Party and the regional Primorsko Goranska Party, which together won eight seats.

The leader of the Peasants’ Party, Josip Friscic, explained that his alliance was open to discussions with both sides.

“During the coming week our negotiating teams will have to sit down and discuss all the crucial elements that we set out in our programme, and see with whom they may be put into practice”, Friscic said.

The decision on who should be invited to try to put together a new administration rests with Mesic.

“The mandate for the forming of the new government will be awarded to the person - and this may even be current Prime Minister Ivo Sanader - that brings me convincing evidence that they have a majority in the newly-elected Croatian parliament”, Mesic said in an address to Croatia’s citizens.

Cubus Lux confident of project pipeline

Cubus Lux, the Croatia-based leisure and tourism company, saw turnover soar by 171% to £0.9 million in the six months to 30 September, with a pre-tax profit of £0.2 million from a loss of £0.4 million last year.

Gerhard Huber, the company’s executive chairman, commented: “The initial step towards transforming our business into a leisure and development company is through the acquisition of the ‘Olive Island Resort' on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. If successful, Cubus Lux will take itself to the next level of achieving its goal of becoming the pre-eminent tourist and leisure business in Croatia.”

Huber said the company had an exciting pipeline of such projects and was actively engaged in tendering for several additional developments.

BYU hoops legend is subject of film

"An Off-Court Story: The Life of Kresimir Cosic," a documentary about the Brigham Young University basketball legend, will premiere Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Wilkinson Student Center Varsity Theater.

The film was produced by Lindsey Blumell while she was a broadcast journalism student at BYU. Blumell served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Croatia, where she was impressed with Cosic's legacy and association with the church almost a decade after he died.

The documentary outlines Cosic's exemplary life through the eyes of those who knew him best. The film incorporates interviews with Cosic's family and friends, including his wife, Ljerka Cosic; his daughter, Ana Cosic; his mother, Darenka Cosic; President Thomas S. Monson of the First Presidency of the LDS Church; church scholars Ann and Truman Madsen; Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; and Gordan Giricek, who plays for the Utah Jazz.

During his career at BYU, the Croatian native was named all-conference three consecutive years, named to five All-American teams and set several BYU and WAC career records. He eventually earned a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

When Cosic graduated, he was drafted by the NBA but decided not to play, giving up millions of dollars and returned home to Croatia instead.

Social-Democrats Leader: I Will Be The New PM

The left option has won in Croatia. I am satisfied with the results and with my electorate, Ljubo Jurcic said.

Although DIP’s unofficial results assign the advantage to HDZ, SDP’s candidate for premiership Ljubo Jurcic still believes his party will win.

- I did not rush when I said that I will be the new premier of Croatia – said Jurcic, adding that there is a DIP’s first results are based on a small sample.

Jurcic also said that this is a match in which the result changes every minute, and that only an exact result will come around midnight.

- The left option has won in Croatia. I am satisfied with the results and with my electorate, which however could be better. Anyway it is better for SDP comparing to the former elections- Jrcic said.

He said that many, just half a year ago, insulted SDP saying that their policy is addressed to the economical programme, but they quickly realised that the strongest opposition party was right.

- I entered this project for a better Croatia, and I think that we have done a great job. Our aim is to create a better standard through economical growth – Jurcic said.

When asked if his parents voted abroad, Jurcic said they did not, he smiled and shook his head.

Vice President of SDP, Zeljka Antunovic said that she is not surprised with the results coming from the DIP, and that speak in favour of HDZ.

- The results come from a small sample from the rural areas. The first results were in favour of HDZ in the first elections as well – Antunovic said, repeating SDP’s optimism, but without euphoria.

She added that she is not worried about the expatriates because SDP fights for the best possible result in Croatia.

SDP member Milanka Opacic agrees with her vice president when saying these are the first results, which were carried out on rural areas and they are not authentic.

- We will wait two hours more and then we will see. I do not want to prognosticate anything, I do not have a magic sphere – Opacic said.

Party President Zoran Milanovic did appear in front of journalists, and his arrival is expected after 11 p.m.

Werder Bremen's Klasnic proves everyone wrong in comeback from liver transplant

No one at Werder Bremen thought Croatia forward Ivan Klasnic could beat two liver transplants to play professional soccer again.

Yet Klasnic was back on the field Saturday for a Bundesliga game, a lump in his throat as cheers erupted from fans during Bremen's 2-0 win against Energie Cottbus. It was his first match since Dec. 17, 2006, when his body got too weak.

"It was a dream, I worked toward this day and I enjoyed every minute," Klasnic said. "I made all the doubters shut up. I want to be a role model, show everybody what's possible with willpower."

Bremen had written off Klasnic, who scored 42 goals in 136 Bundesliga games, by not registering him for the Champions League group stage, which rules him out of Wednesday's match against Real Madrid.

"Six months ago, no one expected Ivan to come back," midfielder Tim Borowski said.

The 27-year-old Klasnic played 64 minutes Saturday and had two shots on goal, with many believing his performance showed he still belonged in professional soccer at its highest level.

Considering what he went through, Klasnic called the comeback the easy part. His body rejected a liver from his mother in January, then two months later the second transplant from his father stuck.

"I had a lot of torture and pain in 11 months," Klasnic said. "Playing a game like that is a small problem."

That is as close as Klasnic has come to offering details on his experience. He is trying to join a handful of professional athletes to have a liver transplant and play again, like NBA star Alonso Mourning and New Zealand rugby union winger Jonah Lomu.

Klasnic is wearing a fiberglass shield to protect his liver, one so strong he said a tank could drive over it. Without the protection, a kick could prove life-threatening.

"An element of risk remains," said Juergen Klempnauer, the doctor who operated on Klasnic. "But all of life is made up of risks."

Klasnic has to take pills morning and night which produce strong side effects to make sure his body doesn't reject his new liver. Once a fast-food lover, the forward has been forced to revise his diet.

But for all the work and pain, Klasnic has already had some sweet moments in his comeback.

Earlier this month, he was thrilled after taking a major step in his comeback and 15,000 fans at Bremen's Weserstadion began to chant "I-van, I-van."

Klasnic played 67 minutes for Bremen's reserves when they beat FC St. Pauli in a penalty shootout to prove he was ready for the Bundesliga.

"As the fans called my name, I could have cried," he said. "I felt a prickling across my whole body as I walked onto the pitch."

Klasnic, who has played 26 games for Croatia, now has to fight for a starting role on Germany's highest-scoring team. Miroslav Klose is gone, but Hugo Almeida and Boubacar Sanogo have scored regularly to fill the gap.

However, management wants more proof that Klasnic's body is ready to play in the Bundesliga.

"We've noticed already that Ivan is impatient," Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said. "But we have to see how far along he is and what we can expect from him."

Still, Klasnic has already proved most people wrong. Not that anyone at Werder Bremen minds.

"You can always be wrong in life, but we should just be happy that he is playing again," Bremen manager Klaus Allofs said. "I was surprised that he can already play at this level."

Schild queen of the hill

Marlies Schild seems bent on defending her World Cup title in slalom.

The 26-year-old Austrian won her second straight slalom to open the season in a combined two-run time of one minute 39.95 seconds at Panorama Mountain Village yesterday.

"Not perfect today, but fast enough," Schild said. "It was a tough race and it was difficult to get the rhythm from the start because it was steep and very aggressive snow, but I got it and I made it."

World champion Sarka Zahrobska of the Czech Republic was second in 1:40.63 and Croatia's Ana Jelusic just behind her in 1:40.64. Defending overall World Cup champ Nicole Hosp of Austria was fifth.

No Canadians finished in the top 30 in the first run of the day and didn't qualify for the second. Anna Goodman of Ste-Agnes-de-Beauce, Que., was the top Canadian at 35th among 75 racers.

"I was definitely hoping to be top 30," Goodman said. "I was close and I know I can ski better than that."

Schild, who won the season-opening slalom Nov. 10 in Reiteralm, Austria, had the fastest time in the first run and the second-fastest time on her second pass through the 60-gate track.

It was her 17th career World Cup victory and she has won six of seven slaloms going back to last season.

"I have confidence because of the wins," Schild said. "I can ski perfect runs in training and that makes me really sure that I can do it."

The women now replace the men at Lake Louise for a downhill Saturday and a super-G on Sunday, while the men head to Beaver Creek, Colo.

England face another Croatia challenge

England will be looking to avenge their Euro exit when they re-meet Croatia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers after the draw paired them together in Group 6.

The Three Lions failed to book their place in Euro 2008 after suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 home defeat to Croatia.

England were fearing the worst in the WC qualifiers as they were not top-seeded after dropping to 12th place in FIFA rankings.

However, their fears were alleviated after the draw, which was held in Durban city, did not put them in a tough challenge against the likes of Italy, France, Spain, Holland and Germany.

Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra will also play in Group 6.

A fierce battle is expected in Group 1, which features Portugal, Sweden and Denmark. They will be accompanied by Hungary, Albania and Malta.

France's task will not be a walk in the park after they were drawn alongside Romania, who registered impressive results in the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Spain were placed with Turkey while Italy will compete with Bulgaria for a spot in the WC finals.

The draw

The nine group winners will qualify directly to the WC while the eight best runners-up will go into a two-legged play-off for the remaining four spots.

Full draw:

Group 1: Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Albania, Malta

Group 2: Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Moldova, Latvia, Luxembourg

Group 3: Czech Republic, Poland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino

Group 4: Germany, Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

Group 5: Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia, Estonia

Group 6: Croatia, England, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra

Group 7: France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria, Faroe Islands

Group 8: Italy, Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia, Montenegro

Group 9: Holland, Scotland, Norway, FYR Macedonia, Iceland

Parliamentary elections held in Croatia

Croatian voters went to the polls Sunday with the two dominate parties predicted to see close parliamentary races.

Future membership in NATO and the European Union were major issues for voters choosing between the pro-western ruling HDZ conservatives and the SDP left-wing opposition, EuroNews.net reported.

HDZ, led by Prime Minister Ivo Sander, had a slight edge in opinion polls leading up to the election, EuroNews.net reported.

Sander, elected in 2003, has overseen economic growth and political stability considered an example for other former Yugoslav republics to follow, EuroNews.net reported.

Ljubo Juric, a former economics minister, is the SPD's candidate for prime minister.

Voter turnout in Croatia parliamentary elections in BiH higher than in 2003

The voting for Croatian parliament outside Croatia continues on Sunday in 265 polling stations in 53 countries. The polling booths in Bosnia and Herzegovina opened at 07.00 local time. About 280,000 people are entitled to vote, the Croatian TV channel HRT informed.
The voter turnout in the 2007 elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina is higher than in 2003, shows the data of the observers from the non-governmental organization GONG.
A total of 1,500 observers from the organization are following the Croatian parliamentary elections, 117 of them being located abroad.
The voter turnout by 11.00 in Croatia was 17.91%, the State Election Commission announced, quoted by the TV channel.

Croatia in limbo after poll ends in photo finish

Croatia's ruling conservatives and rival left-wing opposition were to launch tough talks on hammering out a governing coalition after weekend elections ended in a photo finish.

Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) emerged from Sunday's elections with a wafer-thin lead of three parliamentary seats over the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), officials said.

But the now the two parties are now battling to gain potential junior coalition partners in order to convince the president that they have a parliamentary majority.

The election results, giving 60 seats to the HDZ against the SDP's 57, were based on an electoral commission count of 95 percent of a total of around 6,000 polling stations, according to the state-run HINA news agency.

Under Croatia's electoral law, the president must give the mandate on forming a government to the political grouping that shows it has a parliamentary majority. The HDZ and SDP are therefore obliged to negotiate to find coalition partners.

Sunday's legislative elections, Croatia's fifth since it became independent from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, were seen as a contest for who would lead the country to EU membership.

Independent analyst Davor Gjenero warned the political stalemate could last some time, but said he believed Sanader had the upper hand in the negotiations.

'The current situation is awkward for both parties,' Gjenero told AFP. 'Croatia is politically blocked. Without the positive influence of President Mesic, it could last longer.

Trailing the two major rivals were a coalition of the Croatian Peasants' Party and Croatian Liberal Party (HSLS) with a total eight seats, followed by the Croatian People's Party with seven.

Croatia's parliament has 140 seats plus eight places guaranteed for minorities. There are up to 12 seats to represent the diaspora, depending on the turnout of expatriate voters.

A total of 4.4 mln people were eligible to vote in the elections, including voters in 53 countries including Australia, Bosnia, Germany and the United States.

2010: England and Croatia drawn in same group

It was the first of 90 minutes of the 2010 World Cup that had the world focused on South Africa, and it wasn't a match but the 2010 preliminary draw.

The big names of world football and South Africa converged on Durban's International Convention Centre (ICC) on Sunday.

There was a rumble that echoed loudly through the ICC Arena as England were drawn in the same group as Croatia - the very team that earlier this week knocked England out of Euro 2008.

President Thabo Mbeki and Fifa President Sepp Blatter arrived together, walking up the red carpet ahead of a glittering start that saw Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour take to the stage.

But not after the sound was lost for about 30 seconds during a video presentation.

Blatter said: "Why was such a decision (for Africa) possible? It was nothing else but justice to a continent that has given so much to football by the footballers, by the clubs, by the national teams in the different competitions, but especially the footballers.

"So give back something to Africa. And this is what we want to give back to Africa," he said.

As former Leeds captain Lucas Radebe drew South Africa out of the golden balls, there were rumblings throughout the hall as dignitaries, journalists and players realised that South Africa would face Nigeria in its bid to qualify for the African Nations Cup.

Fortunately Bafana Bafana would not have to qualify for the 2010 Fifa World Cup when it is staged in South Africa.

Before the actual draw began, Irvin Khoza, chairman of the South African Local Organising Committee, unveiled the slogan for the 2010 World Cup.

"We have decided that the slogan of this, the first world cup on the African continent, should be 'Celebrate Africa's humanity'."

Apart from N'Dour, South African group Freshly Ground and the Three Tenors also performed at the draw.

The African Zone had 12 groups with four teams each. The group winners and the eight best runners-up would advance to the next stage where the teams would again be put in to groups. Four teams again made up a group, of which there would be five.

The winners of each group would qualify for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

For the African Cup, the top three teams of each group would advance to the 16-team tournament to be held in Angola.

This would be Bafana Bafana's final preparation for one of the world's biggest sporting events.

Beckham looking for revenge against Croatia

David Beckham today claimed he was looking for World Cup revenge on Croatia after they dumped England out of the qualifying stages of Euro 2008.

Beckham, currently in Sydney with his club side the Los Angeles Galaxy, also repeated his hope that he will be able to reach 100 caps for his country as he still has the 'experience and the passion'.

England were yesterday drawn in the same group as Croatia for the qualifying stages of the 2010 World Cup, along with Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.

'It's a group that there's still some very tough teams in there and obviously Croatia's in there again and we have to try to get our own back on Croatia,' Beckham said.

'But it's important that we go into the qualifiers now with a positive frame of mind, there's going to be obviously a new manager in place by then I'm sure so we'll have to wait and see.'

The former national team captain said he hoped to add to his tally of 99 international caps and help England get to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

'I know how things can change so quickly in the national team - eight months ago if someone would have said to me that I'd be getting another cap and playing for England I probably wouldn't have believed them,' Beckham said.

'But I was brought back in and I got up to 99 caps and I want to go on from there.

'I believe that I can, I'm 32 years old, but I believe that I've got the experience and the passion still to play for my country.

'And I hope that when the next manager comes in that he gives me that chance but we'll have to wait and see.'

Tomorrow the Galaxy play a friendly against Sydney FC, whose line-up boasts former Middlesbrough playmaker Juninho and striker Michael Bridges, who played for England at under-21 level.

And Beckham warned his side to expect a tough challenge against the diminutive Brazilian.

'We know that they've got some talented players, obviously Juninho is one of the best players that I've played against in the Premiership,' Beckham said.

'It's great that he's here, it's great for their team and it's also great for the league.'

Michael Owen: England better than Croatia

England striker Michael Owen has sparked controversy by saying that none of the Croatia players would get into the current England team.

Just four days after Slaven Bilic's side knocked England out of Euro 2008 with a 3-2 win at Wembley, England were again drawn in the same group as Croatia, along with Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Andorra and Belarus, for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Croatia also beat England 2-0 in Zagreb last year but that has not stopped Owen from saying that England are superior to the Croats in every position.

"I don't think any of the Croatian team would get into our team," he said. "Doesn't that tell you it's not about ability or technique but in the mind?"

"We have very demanding fans and a media who expect a great deal from the England team - and rightly so. How we, as players, cope with that is where the problem lies.

"I watched the Croatia game and so often it broke down purely because of pressure.

"It came down to the pressure of making a mistake when it mattered.

"If we'd won the games we should have, we wouldn't have ended up putting that kind of pressure on ourselves. It was our own fault."

Owen also said that England's so-called 'Golden Generation' still had the chance to prove their critics wrong.

"When I look around the England squad and see the talent we have, I cannot imagine that we will not win something.

"A few lucky breaks at the right time wouldn't go amiss - but we can't just rely on good luck to see us through.

"We have got to apply the ability we have got - and I dare anyone to say it is not there."

Barwick: Chance for revenge against Croatia

England's new manager will be faced with the same challenge that did for Steve McClaren: getting past Croatia to qualify for a major tournament.

The qualifying draw for the 2010 World Cup in Durban saw England placed in Group 6 with top seeds Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.

Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick said: 'It's an opportunity at a competitive level to pit our wits against a team that did us twice and an opportunity for the new coach when he's with us so see whether he can turn around our fortunes against a very good team.

'The reality is we have to improve. It's easy to concentrate the group on these two teams but there's a lot of work to do elsewhere.

'There's a lot of travel facing us, the odd banana skin and a team that has beaten us twice in competitive games so there's a job of work to do.'

Barwick will meet the FA's director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking on his return from South Africa to begin the process of finding McClaren's successor, but he would not be drawn on a time-frame or possible contenders.

He also said he was not worried about the number of managers ruling themselves out of the job, and that he understood the reaction of those fans who booed England players at Premier League matches this weekend.

Barwick added: 'I'm not deterred - I'm determined to get the right person the English footballing public is demanding that and it's my job to make sure we get that right.

'We know that England fans are very disappointed and feel let down. I can't support people being booed but they pay their money and if that's they way they wish to express it I can understand it.

'I think a huge part of what comes next is managing the intensity of the occasions, we have to make sure the players go on to the pitch feeling really good about themselves.

'Something I can bring to the party is how we can better manage that.'

Barwick said no decision had yet been made on whether England would play Scotland in a friendly in the summer.

No clear winner emerges in Croatia election

Croatia's tightly contested national election gave no clear winner, with the ruling conservative HDZ taking most seats but without an outright majority, according to preliminary results on Monday.

The results, based on 95 percent of all votes, gave Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) 60 seats, while the Social Democrats (SDP) had 57 seats.

The HDZ can expect a few more seats from Croats abroad, mainly those living in Bosnia.

Both parties pledge more reforms and European Union membership by the end of the new government's four-year mandate.

"The HDZ's victory is certain... Croatian voters have shown that they trust the HDZ and the policies we've been implementing in the last four years," Sanader said.

Croatia's widely circulated Jutarnji List newspaper said in a commentary that the HDZ deserved to get a mandate to form the cabinet.

"It is a basic rule of democracy. If you lose the election, you are not entitled to form the government. If the SDP had two or three seats more than the HDZ, no one serious would deny them the right to try to form the cabinet," the daily said.

However, SDP leaders also believed they could form a government with several smaller parties. "We are immediately starting talks form the new government and I am sure we shall succeed," SDP leader Zoran Milanovic said.

Complete results are expected around midday on Monday.

Due to Croatia's complex electoral system, the party with the most votes is not automatically guaranteed four years in power.

President Stjepan Mesic, who nominates the prime minister designate, said: "I will give the mandate to whoever submits clear proof that they can have majority support in parliament."

Croatia and England face each other again in World Cup qualifying

It seems only World Cup finalists Italy and France were delighted with Sunday's draw for the 2010 tournament.
Even Croatia dreaded a return to England, which it outplayed at Wembley only last week.
World champion Italy has Bulgaria, ranked 14th in Europe, and Ireland as its toughest opponents in Group 8 on
its way to South Africa.
«We could not have asked for better. As world champions we should win this group,» Italian soccer federation president Giancarlo Abete said.
And even if many thought France had perhaps the toughest draw with Romania and Serbia in Group 7, the French scoffed at the thought.
«It could have been worse. It's not the hardest group,» French soccer federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes said. «We will do everything to finish first.
Often bad omens dominated. England found out Sunday it will play Croatia in World Cup qualifying, one week after the Croats eliminated the English from next year's European Championship.
It seemed Croatia was even more impressed by the _ bad _ luck of the draw, cursing its chances.
«The only team I wanted to avoid was England,» Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said, counting on a sense of revenge when they will next meet. «Everyone in Croatia was saying 'Give us England again,' but I wanted to avoid England.
England will also have World Cup quarterfinalist Ukraine and Belarus to deal with in Group 1.
Considering only the group winner is assured automatic qualification, there was plenty of room for doubt. Eight of the nine runners-up will face playoffs, always the trickiest matches.
In Group 1, Portugal, Sweden and Denmark, all stand a chance of finishing in first place.
«It will be tough. I have a lot of respect for Portugal. It is one of the toughest teams we could face,» Sweden head coach Lars Lagerback said.
World Cup semifinalist Portugal is not the only thing on his mind.
«I don't like to play our neighbor. Denmark is a really good team,» Lagerback said.
Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari agreed.
«There are no easy groups in the World Cup,» the Brazilian said.
The Czech Republic faces Poland in Group 3, but also an even trickier neighbor _ Slovakia, from which it split 15 years ago. Politically, it was called the «velvet revolution,» but such feelings rarely translate to the soccer field.
The group «could turn treacherous,» Czech soccer federation head Pavel Mokry said. «We'll again play Slovakia in a fratricidal struggle.
The Czechs beat their neighbors to reach the Euro 2008 finals.
Three-time World Cup champion Germany will play Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein in Group 4.

«It``s an interesting group. Russia is the strongest opponent, but one can't underestimate Finland,» German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer said.
Spain, which has never won the World Cup, faces Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia and Estonia.
In the only group with five teams, the Netherlands drew Scotland, Norway, Macedonia and Iceland.
«Scotland, Norway and Iceland have big, strong players who play a physical game. We will have to be careful,» Netherlands coach Marco van Basten said.
Two of Van Basten's first games in charge of the Netherlands were against Macedonia and both ended in draws.
«They won't be easy to beat. They are a tough team,» the former striker added.
Van Basten said he was impressed with Scotland in its Euro 2008 qualification campaign.
«In a tough pool with Ukraine, Italy and France, they made life very difficult for the other teams. Scottish clubs are going well in Europe, they are a very serious opponent,» Van Basten said.
Greece, which defends its European title next year, drew Israel, Switzerland, Moldova, Latvia and Luxembourg in Group 2.
«It looks pretty good for us (on paper), but we still have to play the games,» Greece coach Otto Rehhagel said.

England get chance for Croatia revenge

The draw for the 2010 tournament, made in South Africa on Sunday, also saw Northern Ireland paired with the Czech Republic and the Republic of Ireland placed into world champions Italy's group.

England, meanwhile, have been handed the chance to gain revenge over Slaven Bilic's Croatia following their 3-2 win at Wembley on Wednesday night.

The other sides in Group Six are Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.

Scotland were placed in the smallest of the nine European groups, Group Nine, with the other eight groups all featuring six teams.

The Scots were paired with Holland, Norway, FYR Macedonia and Iceland in the five-team group.

Alex McLeish's side agonisingly missed out on qualifying for the Euro 2008 finals, and Scotland's last appearance at a major summer tournament came at the 1998 World Cup in France.

Northern Ireland were drawn against Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino, Czech Republic and Poland in Group 3, while Wales landed Germany, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein, Finland and Russia in Group Four.

Republic of Ireland are in Group Eight alongside Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro.

Borat And Croatia Is Not Nice

NO manager. No hope and now here comes Borat.

Right in the middle of England’s grim World Cup group is Kazakhstan and their top media personality who loves to poke fun at us.

It’s the last thing chief executive Brian Barwick needed here yesterday as he desperately tried to convince the rest of the world to take England seriously.

Barwick is the man at the centre of a nightmare.

He has to find the right coach, sort out the World Cup fixtures, appease the fans and fight off Borat.

England have never played Kazakhstan and the timing is going to be vital. The summers are ferociously hot and their winters bitterly cold.

It is a nine-hour flight away and in the winter a lot of domestic flights are grounded because of the weather and that results in a food shortage.

They are the ninth largest country in the world and only moved into Europe four years ago.Poverty is widespread among the population of almost 15 million.

The life expectancy of a male is 58, a woman 69 – and then there is Borat.

He will milk this situation dry with his cruel sense of humour and a struggling England will be tailor-made for him.

It is not the group or the kind of match England wanted after failing to qualify for the Europeans.

It is a group of travelling hell.

Belarus are also first-time opponents while Ukraine will be up to beat England, especially Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko.

Belarus coach Bernt Stange has already warned England to be beware of shocks.

“It would be wrong for the only talk in this group to be about Croatia and England,” he said. “The smaller countries can cause surprise and will. We are already preparing how to beat England.

“Other nations have proved recently that England can be beaten.”

England must travel again to little Andorra where Steve McClaren and his players were abused by their own fans during Euro 2008 qualifying.

Barwick has never been to Kazakhstan and he is sending Sir Trevor Brooking to a fixtures meeting in Zagreb just before Christmas to sort out this group six of long trips.

Ukraine and Croatia volunteered to stage the meeting and England were the only nation that had a South African coin used to split them.

World Cup tossers was England’s label here. It was certainly the only thing that has gone right for England since Wednesday night.

Barwick will be hounded until he reveals the new coach that can guide England out of their current mess and into the World Cup finals.

“I have not approached anyone for the job,” he insisted here last night.

"I’m in South Africa and when I go back to England I will turn my attention to the new coach. I will go straight into doing it.

“Whether people are ruling themselves in or out I have got to get on.”

People are saying no, he was told and he answered: “I’m not deterred by anything, just determined. English football is demanding the right man and it is my job to get it right.

“I have got to make sure this is right. We want to be patient if that is the right way to go.

“There is a big job ahead of us to get the right person. We have a genuine responsibility to get it right this time.

“The board will support my recommendation. I want Trevor Brooking alongside me in this and spoke to him just before I left for South Africa.

“We know where the fans are at the moment, they feel let down and we have let them down. They are disappointed.”

Over the weekend England players were booed and jeered by fans up and down the country and Barwick added: “I can’t support people being booed.

“But people pay their money and if that is the way they want to show their frustration I can’t condemn either at this time.” He is also aware that England players are admitting they find the pressure of doing well for England daunting.

“The pressure is a huge part of what comes next for English football,” he said. “Our games are intense and the expectancy massive.

“It is something we have to look at, so the players go on to the pitch feeling good about themselves.

“What I can bring to the party is how better we manage that.

“When England play, for a lot of teams, it is a huge occasion.

“The England team is important to so many and we have got to get it better on the pitch. We know that.

“I am not in a hurry to do this and we have to qualify from this group that has been drawn today. We have to qualify.”

Will there be a short-list for the job, he was asked. Not yet, he answered.

One man who doesn’t look like a candidate is Portugal manager Phil Scolari, who almost landed the post when the FA messed up last time.

When approached for a comment about the vacant England job, Scolari shouted: “No, no, no,” and stormed away.

The new manager’s first competitive game will be in the autumn next year when this World Cup campaign opens.

England will find out who that will be against and when Kazakhstan are coming by the end of the year.

Borat will no doubt meet England off the plane. What he has in store for them heaven knows.

It can’t be funnier than England’s image right now.

Kazakhstan are ranked 114th in the world, Andorra 174th, Ukraine 29th, Belarus 16th and Croatia 10th. Surely England will qualify from this group. Won’t they?

England face Croatia in World Cup qualifiers

Slaven Bilic's Croatia ran out 3-2 winners at Wembley in midweek to seal England's fate and the teams will get the chance to renew acquaintances when the road to South Africa begins next autumn. The other sides in Group 6 are Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.

Wednesday night's result, courtesy of a Scott Carson error and a host of lacklustre performances from his team-mates, cost Steve McClaren his job as England head coach, and his successor will have an immediate chance to go one better than the former Middlesbrough manager.

And Bilic said it was the draw he was dreading, adding England were "the only team I wanted to avoid".

"Everyone in Croatia was saying 'give us England again' but I wanted to avoid England," he said. "It is a very, very hard draw because they are by far the best team from the second pot.

"The only team I wanted to avoid was England. We are not afraid of them but they have got a terrific team and brilliant players. They should gel and they are going to gel."

Bilic also believes Group 6 represents the toughest group of the European draw.

"It's not only England but we have the Ukraine too - that's a couple of teams who were in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup and both didn't qualify for Euro 2008.

"They will do anything to get to the World Cup in 2010. It's the most difficult group to be honest."

FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick described it as an "interesting group - with a top-line match that people will home in on again - England versus Croatia."

He added: "It will be an early opportunity to see if we can fare better. The new coach will be in place and his job will be to get a better return out of those Croatia games."

But Barwick cautioned against people focusing solely on the Croatia matches. "It's not just about one team it is a group and there are banana skins in the group.

"We respect every team in it. This is an important time for England our elimination was a wake-up call, one of the biggest wake-up calls for England in the last 20 years.

"We go into every qualifying group expecting and determined to qualify but there's no complacency any more."

Scotland will face Holland, Norway, FYR Macedonia and Iceland in their Group 9. The Scots were placed in the smallest of the nine European groups. The other eight groups all feature six teams.

Alex McLeish's side agonisingly missed out on qualifying for the Euro 2008 finals, and Scotland's last appearance at a major summer tournament came at the 1998 World Cup in France.

McLeish attended the draw "on Scotland duty" but refused to confirm that he would still be in charge of the national team when the qualifying matches get underway. He is currently the bookmakers' favourite to be appointed manager at Birmingham City.

"It's a long time away. You can never tell in football. It's sometimes out of your control," he admitted. "But just now I'm here on Scotland duty and I'm going to talk as Scotland manager until something else happens."

Although he said Holland would rightly start as group favourites he believes the Scots have nothing to fear from a group that also contains Norway, Macedonia and Iceland.

"We face tough away games in Iceland, Scandinavia and you've got Macedonia, and they're really hard games," he said, before adding that the World Cup group now offered his senior players a realistic chance of reaching the last stages of a major tournament.

"You've got guys like Barry Ferguson, 29. Barry last week in the dressing room was lamenting, 'That's the last-chance saloon for me, I don't know if I'll make this'. I said, 'Of course you will, don't be daft'.

"And if he keeps himself right he could be in the frame for the next two. It's nonsense to talk like that. As long as the players look after themselves and be mature about their life off the park, then they've got every chance this group of players, they're a tremendous bunch of boys."

Meanwhile, John Toshack's Wales have been pitted against World Cup 2006 semi-finalists Germany in Group 4.

They also face Russia - the other side who qualified for Euro 2008 ahead of England - as well as Finland, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein.

The Welsh are familiar with Finland, having faced them in Euro 2004 qualifying.

Northern Ireland face tough tests against Czech Republic and Poland in Group 3. Nigel Worthington's side, who narrowly missed out on qualification for the Euro 2008 finals last week, will also come up against Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino.

Managerless Republic of Ireland have been drawn in Group 8 alongside reigning World champions Italy. They will also face Bulgaria, Georgia, Montenegro and Cyprus.

The winners of each European group will qualify for the finals automatically and the best eight runners-up play off for four more qualifying berths.

Russian Qualification Makes Croats Heroes

When a national football team qualifies for a major tournament, they are typically greeted as heroes back home. But when Russia last week qualified for the European Championships, it was Moscow's small Croatian community -- not Russian footballers -- who were overwhelmed by gratitude from relieved fans.

While only a small crowd of fans met the Russian team returning from Andorra following a 1-0 victory over the home side, hundreds of fans have heaped thanks on local Croatians, whose national team beat England 3-2 at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday.

Thanks to Croatia's win, Russia finished second in its group and will play in next year's tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

Less than 30 minutes after Croatia's win, dozens of Russian fans made a pilgrimage to the Croatian embassy on Korobeinikov Pereulok in central Moscow, and flowers soon covered the steps of the entrance. Visitors and messages of support -- by phone, fax and e-mail -- poured in all day Thursday and on Friday.

"Mostly it is flowers," Croatian embassy official Sanjin Soldatic said Friday. "One person brought a bottle of vodka and a jar of red caviar."

The embassy has set aside a separate room to display the flowers and presents -- including a teddy bear more than 50 centimeters tall -- and opened a book that well-wishers can sign.


"Fans say thank-you as if we played and not the footballers," said Zeljko Blazincic, one of the owners of Moscow restaurant Dorian Gray, a favorite haunt of Croatian national team goalkeeper and, before this year, striker Ivica Olic.

Pletikosa plays for Spartak Moscow, and Olic, now playing in Hamburg, was with CSKA Moscow from 2003 to 2007.

The Croatian National Tourist Office in Moscow has received hundreds of thank-you messages and more than a dozen bouquets of flowers and cake, said manager Yulia Yevstigeyeva, who conceded that she had not thought Croatia would win. Fans call to say "Thank you!" and that they will definitely go to Croatia for vacation, Yevstigeyeva said.

The day after the match, Sovietsky Sport splashed across its front page the headline "Hvala Vam, Hrvatska," or "Thank You, Croatia" in the Balkan country's language.

Pletikosa's photograph was on the front page of national daily Komsomolskaya Pravda on Friday, while a photo of bespectacled Croatian ambassador Bozo Kovacevic was shown on the front page of the Friday edition of Moskovsky Komsomolets clutching flowers given by grateful fans.

LUKoil vice-president Leonid Fedun has promised four new Mercedes to Croatian players, and one Russian company has offered free advertisements for vacations to Croatia, Kovacevic told MK.

The Croatian Football Federation turned down the Mercedes offer from Fedun. "Let him give it to his dad," federation head Vlatko Markovic said, RIA-Novosti reported.

In a reader's poll in Komsomolskaya Pravda on Friday, 43 percent said they would support Russia at the European championship. But a remarkable 26 percent said they would support Croatia.

"The fans all understand who did the most to get us there," Boris Bogdanov, a football editor at the Sport-Express daily, said Friday.

And so do the players. "Croatia saved our ass," Lokomotiv striker Dmitry Sychyov said after the match, national media reported.

"The last two days have been special," the Croatian embassy's Soldatic said, adding that fans were coming and giving Croats a hug. "It is very good to be a Croat in Moscow these days."

Newspapers played up the fact that both Russians and Croatians are both Slavic peoples, though their countries have not always been so closely aligned.

During the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Russia was a strong supporter of the Serbs, who share the Orthodox faith with Russia. Croats are primarily Catholics.

The lovefest continued in the national media over the weekend, with Komsomolskaya Pravda publishing a ready-made thank-you card in its Saturday edition that readers can cut out and send to the Croatian Football Federation in Zagreb. The daily also printed a cutout badge reading "Thank you, Croatia" for fans to wear.

I am Croatia’s future PM: Ljubo Jurcic

Zagreb- I am Croatia’s future Prime Minister, Ljubo Jurcic from the Social Democratic Party told journalists in the party’s campaign office, the Croatian TV channel HRT informed.
Jurcic noted he would comment on the election performance after the announcement of the official preliminary results. He added, however, it was apparent the Social Democratic Party would achieve the best results so far. The official results, Jurcic stressed, will be the basis for talks with potential coalition partners to form a new government.

EU candidate Croatia holds general election

Following are key facts about Croatia.

RECENT HISTORY: Croatia left Socialist Yugoslavia in 1991, waging an independence war with its ethnic Serb minority and the Yugoslav army which went on until 1995. Reformers ousted hardline nationalists in 2000 and set about bringing the country towards NATO and European Union membership. Croatia expects to join NATO by 2009 and the EU by 2011.

POPULATION: 4.4 million (2001 census): Croats 3.98 million, Serbs 201,600, Italians 19,600, Slovenes 13,000. Muslims 20,755, Hungarians 16,600, Albanians 15,000. Of the 300,000 ethnic Serbs who left Croatia for Serbia and Serb-held Bosnia between 1991 and 1995, slightly more than a third have returned to their pre-war homes.

AREA: 56,538 sq km (21,829 sq miles), or almost twice the size of Belgium. The Adriatic coastline, which includes 1,185 islands, islets and reefs, is 5,740 km (3,566 miles) long.

Croatia, shaped like a boomerang, is bordered by Slovenia in the northwest, Hungary in the north, Serbia in the east, Bosnia and Montenegro in the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Italy.

CAPITAL: Zagreb, population 867,865.

LANGUAGE: Croatian, a Slavic language which uses the Latin alphabet.

RELIGION: (2001 census) Roman Catholic 88.6 percent, Orthodox 4.5 percent, Muslim 1.3 percent, and 5.3 percent agnostics or atheists.

Driven by tourism, state investments and lending-based personal consumption, Croatia's economy has grown by around five percent a year since economic and political reforms started in 2000. Gross Domestic Product is expected to rise some six percent this year to reach some 7,700 euros ($11,400) per capita.

With its formerly leading shipbuilding industry in shambles, the country lacks a strong export sector. The most profitable sectors, banking and telecommunications, are run by foreign firms.

High foreign debt accounts for some 85 percent of GDP. Inflation was forecast at 2.8 percent this year -- the highest level since 2000. Unemployment stood at 14 percent in September.

The kuna currency, introduced in May 1994, is kept in a tightly managed float, worth roughly 7.3 to the euro and 5.0 to the U.S. dollar.

Wrong To Play Carson Against Croatia - James

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and Portsmouth goalkeeper David James is not short of it. He reckons Aston Villa's Scott Carson should never have been selected for England's high-pressure game against Croatia in midweek. To be fair to James, though, he probably thought that before last Wednesday too....

The man many believe should still be England's number one, Portsmouth goalkeeper David James, says it was a mistake to hand Scott Carson his competitive international debut in England's must-win showdown with Croatia last Wednesday.

In the event, England crashed out 3-2 with Villa keeper Carson enduring a nightmare for the first, early Croatian goal.

And James, writing his column for the Observer newspaper, says:

"Gianluigi Buffon made his debut as a 19-year-old in Italy's 1998 World Cup play-off qualifier against Russia and handled the pressure to keep a clean sheet for Italy to reach the finals.

"Scotty is a great keeper and will undoubtedly become England's No 1 in the future, but he didn't need to be put in that position, he should never have reached the Croatia game so poorly equipped in terms of experience.

"Scotty's potential should have been recognised when he played at Charlton last season. We knew then that he was good, so why stick him in the England under-21s when we could have blooded him in the seniors?

"Throughout the qualifying campaign there were unfathomable decisions made concerning the balance of young talent and experience. In the end we needed our more experienced players, and when we brought them back they made the difference.

"Against Croatia Sol Campbell was our only experienced defender on the pitch and everyone saw the impact David Beckham had on the game in the second half.

"Age should not be the dictator of ability. To qualify for an international tournament, you need a good range of players. Even if your focus is to build a team for the future, you still need the experience of older players. Use them in the early stages of the competition to build confidence and then phase them out in favour of younger players later on, if need be.

"But to exclude them altogether because they're not seen as long-term is foolish," added James, 37.

Barwick Cautious On Croatia, Capello, Redknapp

England have been given a fairly simple group from which to gain qualification for the 2010 World Cup. However, FA Chief Brian Barwick remains watchful; as we’ve seen the three lions squander success when in similar situations…

Croatia Come Again

Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra and Croatia join England in Group 6, and with the Croats having outclassed England to seal their failure in a similarly simple qualifying group for the upcoming European Championships, Chief Executive Barwick refuses to get ahead of himself.

"We will show them the right level of respect, this is an important time for England - our elimination from the European Championship is a wake up-call,” he stated, while assuring, to the relief of many fans, "we cannot have any more complacency," he said

No Rush For Replacement

Barwick was equally pragmatic with regards to England’s managerial search, saying “There is no time frame, there is no favourite, there is no person being contacted - we are in the business of having a clean piece of paper and working through what we want and what we need to make England a successful team.”

On Fabio Capello and Harry Redknapp’s fleeting interest, in addition to an onrush of Jose Mourinho rumours and more, Mr. Barwick was quick to calm the issue.

"There are always people who want to connect themselves with the job, but it is all rumour and hearsay," he reiterated.

“I will take a lot of advice from football people the length and breath of the country and I will be speaking to the captain and I will do that soon.

"Our next competitive game is not until next September so we have got time and we have got to use that carefully."

Home Nations?

Rumours have also been circulating about the possibility of a home nations’ tournament, following all of the nations of Great Britain’s failure to qualify for the European Championships.

Barwick was non-committal, insisting that it would depend on the new manager and his plans.

"We have to think creatively about how we fill those fixtures it might be at the behest of new manager. But it will depend whether he is in place or not, so I am not saying no, and I am not saying yes to it," he concluded.

Croatia and England meet again in World Cup

England were given the chance for revenge when they were paired with Croatia in the qualifying draw for the 2010 World Cup held in Durban on Sunday.

Croatia won 3-2 at Wembley last week to dash English hopes of qualifying for the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland next year.

The result also sounded the death knell for Steve McClaren's reign in charge of the team, his dismissal announced by the Football Association the morning after the calamitous defeat.

The Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra make up the rest of Group Six.

Reigning champions Italy were drawn in Group Eight alongside Bulgaria, Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro.

France, beaten finalists in Germany last year, were paired with Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria and the Faroe Islands in Group Seven.

The nine group winners qualify automatically for the finals with the eight best runners-up going into playoffs from which the four winners go through to the finals.

Croatia won, the media nil

The 'hills were alive with the sound of failure'. Maybe those 'blazered buffoons' at the 'sweet FA' still pottered ineptly in their sumptuous offices, but the great game they ran lay flat 'in the gutter' while Steve McClaren, otherwise 'the big drip', stayed 'minging in the rain'. England are the 'joke of Europe - spineless, pathetic, rubbish (and that's putting it mildly)'. Oh! and 'Summer 2008 is cancelled'. No Austria, no hope.

In which torrid fashion, over 15 full, fulminating pages, the Sun bade farewell to next year's big football tournament. And, of course, it wasn't alone. Poor, terminated McClaren was 'the wally with the brolly' then 'wally with the lolly' for the Mail, after what the Mirror dubbed 'one of the worst nights in Wembley history'. 'An unqualified failure', moaned the Telegraph. 'Hopeless and helpless', grumped the Guardian. 'Goodnight Vienna', wailed the Times. The Express coughed and cleared its front page for more McCannery. But wait, because there were fascinating nuances here.

When England - or, indeed, any home country - fails to qualify for a World Cup or Euro championship, it's not just the fans who feel let down. The travelling press misses its big adventure, too. Scores of expert correspondents who might have been having a wonderful time in central Europe are stuck at home with the wife, dog and garden. The nights in the beer halls, the schnitzels and fondues, the expenses chits... all suddenly evaporate.

'The first thing that happened when I got in on the morning after was a message from the managing editor asking me to re-budget my summer spending,' said one doleful sports editor. He was not alone. Good news for Croatia was dire news for the UK's growth editorial industry: sports journalism.

One myth of old Fleet Street is that hacks don't care. But they do. They are genuine fans, true footie junkies. Their bosses are hooked on national moments, and also gathered around the TV in the office last Wednesday, part of an audience 11 million strong enjoying a national moment that might shift a few copies as well. This feels like disaster for them because it upends expectations, cancels hotels, planes, travel plans - and leaves a lumpen month of nothingness where excitement ought to be.

You can put rough sums of money on that. ITV reckons that £10m might go west in terms of ads and sponsorship cancelled. Newspapers, too, will see their special guides and competitions axed for lack of interest. Perhaps the BBC doesn't have to worry so much. 'Due to the large number of Premiership players who will be playing at the tournament, we are expecting there'll still be interest,' says a hopeful spokesman. 'Last year's World Cup final between non-England European teams brought in an audience of 18 million.'

But - for newspapers especially - there is a countervailing point. Football writers are dead keen. Sports editors are dead keen. Marketing departments are keen, because young, affluent lads are also prime reader targets. (Watch literally thousands of entries slamming the departed big drip flood on to the Guardian's blog comment site). Yet does the experience of football championships past quite justify all the hype and expense? That's a much more difficult call.

Go back to the World Cup in 2006 and look at national circulation figures, with football-filled June, mostly down on a politics-stuffed May. Look at June 2004, the last Euro in Portugal with England there, missing penalties with glum abandon. The Mirror was down 5.9 per cent then year on year, the Bun took a 4.8 per cent drubbing. No one could say, hand on heart, that football was some kind of sales elixir. We had all the costs, all the extra pages, all the headlines... but not much you could call tangible reward.

That belonged on particular nights to television corporations, with 18 million tuned in, or to internet running commentaries that sold ads for particular services (more like ITV than Fleet Street). So there's a dilemma. If next sporting summer doesn't suffer too obviously, then football itself may take a bit of an early coverage bath. If it isn't very beautiful and it doesn't draw the punters, then who needs quite so much of it?

There are silver linings here. Managing editors may get a few bob back and weary correspondents, feet up, may have a chance to recover from another grinding season. But don't disregard the real angst, real disappointment, real fury. Bad nights at Wembley don't come any worse, in every practical way.

England reeling after Euro 2008 loss to Croatia

England's shocking elimination from the 2008 European Championship qualifying round has the country in anguish, embarrassed by its "Golden Generation" of English footballers who have achieved large professional contracts and small international acclaim.

England was sent tumbling out of Euro 2008 when it lost, 3-2, to Croatia Wednesday night at Wembley Stadium. It was a well-deserved loss, with Group E leaders Croatia controlling the game and leaving the Three Lions utterly toothless and shorn of their manes.

The best of English football, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Ashley Young, were left on their respective derrieres on the damp and defective pitch at Wembley by a Croatian side whose collective professional earnings wouldn't exceed by much a top-flight Premier League player.

The fallout was immediate. Coach Steve McClaren was sacked after 15 months on the job, the shortest tenure ever for an England national team coach. FIFA dropped England to No. 12 in its world rankings (behind Greece!), making England's progress in the 2010 World Cup qualifying process more difficult.

And the Centre for Economic and Business Research estimates that failure to qualify for Euro 2008 could cost the English economy as much as 1 billion pounds sterling with the largest impacts in media advertising and pub revenues.

The search for a new coach (and new talent) begins immediately, and bizarrely, it likely will entail the hiring of a non-English coach. McClaren had replaced the Swede Sven Goran Eriksson only after the Brazilian Luiz Scolari had turned down the Football Association's overture in favor of remaining coach of the Portuguese national team. The names now tossed about are the Portuguese "Special One" Jose Mourinho, ex of Chelsea this season; the Italian Fabio Capello, ex of Real Madrid; the German Juergen Klinsmann, ex of his country's national team who he guided to the World Cup semifinals last year; and the Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who is coach of the Russian team that finished ahead of England in Group E.

It's interesting to note that two English coaches have taken themselves out of the running, if they were ever really in it - Newcastle's Sam Allardyce and Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill - who say they have big jobs to do with their Premier League clubs and who likely would rather spare themselves the wrath of national disappointment.

Plenty of excuses have been made for England's failure, the first time the side hasn't made it to a major competition since it was just as shockingly eliminated during 1994 World Cup qualifying. There were injuries to major players - strikers Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, and defenders John Terry and Rio Ferdinand - but all teams cope with that.

Strangely, the presence of so many good international players in the Premier League was faulted by some for not giving English players a chance to shine, denying the fact that if they were good enough to make the squads then so many international players wouldn't be imported.

David Beckham, who McClaren did not start against Croatia but who came on in the second half to set up Peter Crouch's tying goal, believes that playing with the best of international players should only help English players improve. The 32-year-old is determined to keep playing for England, and put forth as good an effort Wednesday as any of the other English golden boys.

"It's a summer without seeing the flags out in the streets and seeing the atmosphere around England, and that's going to be devastating for the country," Beckham said. "We all know there are more important things than football in the wrold but for us not to qualify to a competition, it's a huge, huge thing."

FA board member Lord Mahwinney was brutally direct about the state of England's team: "I have to tell you that if this is the 'golden generation,' the sooner we move away from the gold standard the better."
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Owen Has Dig At Croatia

Michael Owen has reignited the rivalry between Croatia and England by claiming that no one out of Slaven Bilic’s side is good enough to get a game for England.

Having taken maximum points from England in the qualification group, Croatia are the primary reason that the Three Lions will be watching Euro 2008 from their own living rooms, and the football gods pulled off a real doozie by grouping the two teams against each other again in Saturday’s 2010 draw in South Africa.

Rather uncharacteristically, Owen tempted fate with his reaction to the draw. “I don’t think any of the Croatian team would get into our team,” said the perma-injured Newcastle and England striker.

“Doesn’t that tell you it’s not about ability or technique but in the mind?

"We have very demanding fans and a media who expect a great deal from the England team — and rightly so.

“How we, as players, cope with that is where the problem lies.

“I watched the Croatia game and so often it broke down purely because of pressure.

“It came down to the pressure of making a mistake when it mattered.

“If we’d won the games we should have, we wouldn’t have ended up putting that kind of pressure on ourselves. It was our own fault.

“When I look around the England squad and see the talent we have, I cannot imagine that we will not win something,” he added.

“A few lucky breaks at the right time wouldn’t go amiss — but we can’t just rely on good luck to see us through.

“We have got to apply the ability we have got — and I dare anyone to say it is not there.”

Croatia stand in England's way on road to World Cup

England were yesterday drawn against Croatia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers just four days after defeat to Slaven Bilic's team ended their Euro 2008 campaign.

Last night the Football Association insisted that an unglamorous qualifying group with a hellish travel schedule that includes three trips to the former Soviet Union – among them the home of Borat – would not deter managers from taking the England job.

The FA chief executive, Brian Barwick, put a brave face on it at the draw in Durban last night when he described Group Six as "an opportunity for the new coach to turn round our fortunes against a very good Croatia team".

There will certainly be a chance for the new coach to add to his air miles as England travel to Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Barcelona – to play the minnows of Andorra. In all, England will have to fly around 15,050 miles in their attempt to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa.

It was the Croatia game that dominated the FA's thoughts yesterday after Bilic's side's home-and- away victories over England ultimately consigned Steve McClaren's 2008 European Championship qualifying campaign to failure. Last night, Bilic said that he had hoped to avoid England, who were the highest ranked country in the pot of second-seeded teams.

"When I saw the draw I said, 'Oh no, not England!'" Bilic said. "Everyone in Croatia was saying, 'Give us England again', but I wanted to avoid England. It is a very, very hard draw because they are by far the best team from the second pot. The only team I wanted to avoid was England. We are not afraid of them, but they have got a terrific team and brilliant players. They should gel and they are going to gel."

The Football Association will hope that Croatia's talented young coach will be poached by a European club side after Euro 2008 and they are not the only ones who will have wanted Croatia to avoid England after becoming the only team to beat them both home and away in a qualifier.

Barwick said yesterday that he had not yet made any approaches to potential new England managers or their agents but had spoken to Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA's director of football development, who, he said, would advise him on the appointment.

Just yards away from Barwick as he spoke in Durban was the Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, whose last-minute decision to turn down England led to McClaren's appointment 18 months ago. Last night they tactfully avoided each other.

Barwick said that finding the new England manager was "a hare and tortoise thing"– without specifying which he intended to be. He added: "We want to basically make sure we get the right person. We want to be patient if that's the right way to go about it. It's a big job ahead of us. We have a real genuine responsibility to deliver on it this time. You would like to think the quality of coach we try to employ will be fired up by any group."

Pushed on the issue of appointing a new manager, Barwick confirmed that he could wait until after Euro 2008 if necessary. "The reality is I'm in South Africa, then I get back and start concentrating on the other matter," he said. "I'm sure you won't let me get too far off the pace. I can't put a time frame on it, I shouldn't and I won't.

"As far as the group goes, when Croatia's name came out, I thought, 'Hey, we've got to get on with it'. It's an opportunity to pit our wits against a team which did us twice in European qualification. Firstly, there's a lot of travel, secondly the odd banana skin and thirdly a team that's beaten us twice in the last two games so, yes, we've got a job to do."

Apart from Croatia, the game that stands out is the 3,490 mile trip to Kazakhstan, ranked 110 in the world, and the home of the fictional comedy character Borat, whose creator, Sacha Baron Cohen, incurred the wrath of the Kazakh government for portraying their people as backward, racist and misogynist. In his movie, Borat liked to boast that his sister was "No 4 prostitute in Kazakhstan" and rejoiced when told his first wife had been "raped and killed by a bear".

As a spoof documentary maker, Borat's tactic of fooling unsuspecting, complacent victims is exactly the kind of humour that would lend itself to an impromptu performance at an England press conference. The FA will be nervous at the prospect of Cohen/Borat turning up during the build-up to the game, although it is an awkward truth that Borat is the single entity most English people think about when asked to describe what they know about Kazakhstan.

The trip to Kazakhstan will take more than nine hours with a stop-off – the country shares a border with China. The journeys to Ukraine, ranked 29th in the world and Belarus, 60th, will be in excess of four hours. But England will be pleased to have avoided Italy, who are in the Republic of Ireland's group and Germany, who face Wales.

European qualification for the World Cup involves 53 teams split into eight groups of six and one of five. The top sides qualify automatically while the eight best second-placed teams play off against one another for the remaining four qualifying places.

England lost twice to Croatia in Euro 2008 qualifying and beat Andorra twice in that same group. They last played Ukraine in August 2004 at St James' Park and won 3-0. An England B team lost 2-1 to Belarus in the build-up to the last World Cup and England have never played Kazakhstan.

The Belarusian captain is Arsenal's Alexander Hleb, one of the Premier League's most impressive performers this season, and their German manager, Bernd Stange, promised "a very good, young team keen to get results". Ukraine have the Chelsea striker Andrei Shevchenko.

Barwick said that he was still considering whether England would take up an offer from Scotland, drawn with the Netherlands, of a game in May. Northern Ireland are in a group with the Czech Republic and Poland.

The impossible job? Names in the frame to guide England to the World Cup finals

The chief executive of the Football Association, Brian Barwick, and the Association's director of football development, Sir Trevor Brooking, are to lead the search for the next England coach. Here are some of the theories and rumours they may wish to examine as they make their shortlist:

"Whoever is chosen must be mentally strong and have a vision. The next manager will have one advantage compared to the others. He will have time." - Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager

"If the FA want a foreign coach, then it needs to be someone who has done well at the highest level. The man who fits that description is [Fabio] Capello." - Glenn Hoddle

"In a perfect world, an Englishman would be best. Next best would be a British manager. The only home manager who gets close is O'Neill. If he really does mean 'no', Mourinho and Capello have the personality and judgement." - Sir Bobby Robson

"It surprised me to be mentioned." - Bernd Schuster, Real Madrid coach

* Also mentioned in dispatches: Gérard Houllier, now technical director of the French Federation, and the choice of the former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein. Jose Mourinho and the former Germany head coach Jürgen Klinsmann are both under consideration by the FA.

England face Croatia - again

Managerless England have been drawn against the side who knocked them out of Euro 2008 in the World Cup 2010 qualifiers after Sunday's draw in Durban.

Slaven Bilic's men ran out 3-2 winners at Wembley in midweek to seal England's fate and the teams will get the chance to renew acquaintances when the road to South Africa begins next autumn.

The other sides in Group Six are Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.

Scotland will face Holland, Norway, FYR Macedonia and Iceland in their five-team group - the Scots were placed in the smallest of the nine European groups, group nine, while the other eight groups all feature six teams.

Alex McLeish's side agonisingly missed out on qualifying for the Euro 2008 finals, and Scotland's last appearance at a major summer tournament came at the 1998 World Cup in France.

Meanwhile, John Toshack's Wales have been pitted against World Cup 2006 semi-finalists Germany in Group Four.

They also face Russia - the other side who qualified for Euro 2008 ahead of England - as well as Finland, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein. The Welsh are familiar with Finland, having faced them in Euro 2004 qualifying.

Northern Ireland face tough tests against Czech Republic and Poland in Group Three - Nigel Worthington's side, who narrowly missed out on qualification for the Euro 2008 finals last week, will also come up against Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino.

Managerless Republic of Ireland have been drawn in Group Eight alongside reigning World champions Italy.

They will also face Bulgaria, Georgia, Montenegro and Cyprus, to whom they suffered an humiliating 5-2 defeat against during their unsuccessful qualifying campaign for Euro 2008.

Main issues in Croatia's parliamentary election

Croatia held a parliamentary election on Sunday, seen as a tight race between the ruling conservative HDZ and the Social Democrats (SDP).

Following is an overview of key issues facing the new government in the European Union candidate country of 4.4 million people.

EU/NATO MEMBERSHIP

Both main parties support joining the two blocs, but the SDP wants to hold a referendum before joining NATO, noting that only some 40 percent of Croats are in favor.

The HDZ wants to join the EU as quickly as possible, while the SDP plans to focus on quality of domestic reforms and ask Brussels for more time to implementing particularly complex parts of EU legislation. Both parties want EU membership during the next government's term in office.

The main issues remain the reform of the judiciary, seen as inefficient, prone to corruption and political manipulation, and of the oversized public administration. Both parties promise faster reforms and zero tolerance for corruption.

FISCAL DEFICIT/FOREIGN DEBT

Foreign debt stands at 85 percent of GDP and public spending accounts for almost half of GDP. Croatia also runs a huge trade deficit of some $10 billion a year, which is only partly offset by tourism revenues, accounting for some 20 percent of GDP.

The HDZ wants to continue fiscal tightening and reach a balanced budget by 2010, while the SDP wants to keep the deficit at below three percent of GDP for a few more years, and use it to boost production.